Tears
by Psycho Babble
Summary: Set a few years after 'Tears of the Past', if you want to understand this fic then read that first.
1. Chapter 1

Title: Tears

Author: Psycho Babble

Archived: none

Feedback: Yes please

Characters: Splinter, Turtles, Elizabeth (OOC)

Beta's: Leo o' Neal

Disclaimer: I do not own anything from the TMNT universe. Elizabeth (Beta II) is mine.

Author's notes: to understand this fanfic and where Elizabeth comes from read 'Tears of the Past' first.

Chapter 1

(Line breaker)

"Not know," she muttered. She stared at the board that Donatello had been writing on with chalk, trying to figure out what the arrangement of numbers and letters meant. Donatello sighed quietly; she was smart, quick and eager to learn. When it came to mathematics she had no idea.

"Ok, we'll come back to this tomorrow," he said. It was already late in the afternoon and he knew that Leo wanted to do some training with her.

"K," she said. Donatello watched her leave and then started to clean up the bits of paper she had been flicking around the room while he had been trying to explain just what exactly he was doing.

(Line breaker)

"Tie this around your eyes, Lizzie" Leo instructed her.

"Won't see," she complained.

"That's the whole point. This blocks you from seeing and making you uses your other abilities." He handed her a bo stick, the only weapon she seemed to be able to use with ease. She swung it a little in her hands, testing the weight of it in her hands before settling into a defensive stance. Leo was using wooden swords that had been lightly padded to avoid serious injury. She fended off his attacks until he stepped up his attack and then she started to falter, letting more and more hits through. Eventually he stepped back from her and lowered his weapons.

"You're not even trying," he admonished.

"Am," she said defiantly. Anyone who didn't know her might have thought that she was being rude. She wasn't, until she was about five she had not talked much at all and when she finally did start talking her speech patterns were already developed so much that she spoke almost like one would imagine a Neanderthal speaking, if they could speak that is. Over the years she had learned how to express herself in as few words as possible, thus making it easier for people to know what she meant. Luckily she had a very understanding family.

"No, you're not. You're easily distracted, clear your mind of all other thoughts all that matters right now is this." He told her. She shook her head.

"Not easy," she said.

"It is, take a deep breath and let it out slowly and with it all these distractions that you have." He said.

"No understand, you," she said.

"Then tell me," he said simply. She shook her head again, even if she could put into it all into words she didn't want to. How could he possibly understand? She tore off the blindfold and threw it to the floor.

"No," the bo stick joined the blindfold and before he could stop her she had strode from the room. Her face; Leo had noticed, was a frown of confusion.

"She's still distracted," he said to the shadows.

"I know," Raphael slapped him on the shoulder.

"Appreciate you tryin anyway, bro. I was sure that this would work; I don't know what's goin on with here cos she won't talk to me. She won't talk to no one."

"Guess she takes after her father the hothead," Leo grinned at his brother. For once Raph didn't rise to the bait.

"No, something else is bothering her and knowing her it's no small thing either. Just gonna have to wait and hope she weathers this storm well." Raph muttered half to himself. Almost ten years ago she had come to live here, not long after that she had started calling him daddy. A human kid calling him daddy! The thought brought a smile to his face even now, but he wouldn't have changed it for anything. He loved her as if she were his own flesh and blood. She would choose her moments, sometimes she would talk to him and sometimes she would keep stuff to herself. He just hoped that this time she'd be alright.

(Line breaker)

"What?" The fifteen year old continued to stare at the TV that was showing reruns of old cartoons.

"Pizza run," the turtle said.

"And this is relevant to me how…?" She strained to look around her uncle.

"Because I have to continue getting the rest of the food ready for dinner, everyone else is busy doing other stuff. So either you go get the pizza or all we'll be having is salad," he replied.

"Ok," she flicked the TV off and stood up.

"I knew I could count on you, Lizzie," he said.

"Always can, got money?" She held out her hand.

"Go now," she said and was off out the door with the money.

(Line breaker)

Relaxed, even letting her ninja training go somewhat as she bobbed her head slightly to the music that blared through earphones. Her mind going so fast that she had trouble keeping up. How could they not know what was bothering her? Especially her father, he should have realized, should have known that this was the time. Every year around this time she sank into a depression that hung over her like a black cloud. They never seemed to know why. Each year she knew her father tried to get her uncle Leo to distract her by teaching her some new ninja technique. It never worked. What on earth made her father think it would work this time?

Her mind so caught up in her own inner musings that she didn't notice those that had been silently following her for some time now. It was a short fight. If you could even call it that. One man grabbed her arms and pulled them behind her back another man pressed a cloth over her mouth and nose. She held her breath, but eventually she had to breath and when she did blackness overcame her.

(Line breaker)

"Mikey, where's the pizza?" Donatello came into the kitchen where Mikey was setting the table, a floral print apron covering his plastron.

"Lizzie's gone to get it," he straightened a fork.

"That was almost an hour ago. Are you telling me she isn't back yet?" Donatello demanded.

"Are you sure it's been that long?" Mikey asked. When Mikey started cooking he could loose track of all else.

"Never mind, I'll go track her down," Donnie said. Mikey didn't even answer, his full attention back on the pie he was putting together.

(Line breaker)

Donatello fished the cd walkman out of the sewer water. A thoughtful frown creasing his forehead. It was Lizzie's walkman alright, but where was Lizzie? He knew her well enough to know that she wouldn't just dump her walkman and keep going without it. He spotted a rag and lifted it to his face, sniffing cautiously at it. For a moment his mind reeled and he put out one hand against the sewer wall to steady himself.

"Damn," he muttered.

(Line breaker)

"He still going at it?" Donnie asked Leo. Leo nodded once as his eyes moved over to Raph. Leo had gone out after Donnie had called him on the shell cell. They had found no trace of Lizzie and they had no choice but to return to the lair to tell Raph that his daughter was missing. Raph had insisted on going out himself and looking for her. He had returned a few hours ago and was now beating up a punch bag. Anger a frustration battled for space in his mind.

"Any ideas?" Donnie asked. Leo looked at him and after a moment he nodded. He gestured to the banner that had one symbol on it. A symbol that they all knew very well.

"You're kidding right?" Don's voice to hold much hope. Leo shrugged once and turned back to Raph. He could understand his younger brothers' frustration, and he knew that Raph knew who had taken his daughter, that knowledge would not sit well with anyone.

(Line breaker)

She came too slowly, darkness was all she saw and it took her moment to figure out that she was blindfolded. Naked and her arms stretched out to either side, a grunting groan of pain emanated from her gagged mouth at the realization that she was not tied, but rather that someone had nailed her wrists to something.

"Welcome home, child. Your training begins now," a man's grating voice spoke. Her breath hitched in her throat as she recognized it and a sob escaped her.

"Save your energy you are going to need it,"


	2. Chapter 2

Part 2

"What?" The young teenager pulled the earphones out of her ears as she looked around at her family. Each of them were staring at her as if she had two heads.

"Where the hell have you been?" Raphael snapped at his daughter, frustration getting the better of him.

"Pizza." She held up the box and shook it a little.

"Are you alright?" He asked.

"Sure," a pause.

"What's going on?"

"Nothing," Raph hugged her tightly.

"We thought that you…we thought that you'd been kidnapped." Leo said quietly. Splinter gave him a reproving look. Informing her of anything was Raphael's responsibility and if Raphael chose not to tell her than that was his prerogative.

"Eat now?" She asked.

"Pizza's probably cold by now," Mikey grumbled.

"Sorry, doin something else," she said. She was a little surprised when no one pushed her on just what exactly she had been doing.

(Line breaker)

"Nice," Elizabeth helped herself to the last of the salad.

"Since when do you like that so much?" Leo was staring at her suspiciously. She paused in her eating for a moment and then shrugged as if it were no big deal. But she did make a mental note of this so as not to make the same mistake again.

"Hungry," was all she said.

(Line Breaker) – Somewhere else

She hung by her nailed wrists, the pain was not unbearable, but she had a feeling that it was only the beginning. She could feel the cold on her naked body, eyes still blindfolded she had no idea where she was or if she was alone. She wanted to go home. In her minds eye she could picture her family and how worried they would be for her. Especially her father; Raphael.

"I know what you're thinking," the voice was silky smooth and spoke from somewhere to her right.

"They won't know that you're gone. You see you're not the only one; there is another who is identical to you in every way. She has taken your place. You are going to be here for a very long time and I look forward to finishing up what I started."

"Mmpf!" She shook her head frantically. Not quite believing his words, but knowing deep down inside that he was telling the truth even as bizarre as that truth sounded.

"Scream and moan all you want. There is no one to hear you. Down here you are all mine." He said. She felt him trail his fingers across her bare stomach.

(Line breaker) – Turtle lair

"You want help with your homework?" Donnie asked. Elizabeth nodded and smiled a little, holding out a notebook towards him. Donnie looked at her through narrowed eyes for a moment longer. This had to be a joke, she had never asked for help before. At least not from him.

"Ok," he took the notebook from her and read over the slightly scribbled notes she had made on the English assignment he had given her. They made no sense to him, he knew from previous assignments that she had her own weird way of doing things, but at the end she would have the answer clearly written out in words that even Mikey would understand.

"Donnie, have you seen…? There you are," her father came into the room.

"You're meant to be in bed,"

"It's only eleven," she complained.

"And ten thirty is when you go to bed, remember?"

"But…" at this she trailed off, racking her memory.

"Dad, I'm not finished my homework yet," she finished.

"Your father is right, Lizzie. I'll take a look at this tomorrow," Donnie said. She sighed loudly, before leaving the room. Raphael looked at him, eyeridge raised at his brother.

"Something wrong, Don?" He asked. Donnie shook his head, not quite certain just what it was that bothered him.

"I'm not sure yet," he muttered.

(Line breaker) – Somewhere else

"No sleeping," an open hand slapped her thigh sharply and she woke with a start from her half slumbering doze. She felt something pinch one of her nipples and then sharp pain as something was clamped there. A similar pain in her other nipple and she was clenching her teeth in an attempt not to moan loudly. A hand caressed her between her spread eagled legs. Fingers shoved roughly in and out of her.

"Mmpf!" Another moan that was meant to be the word please escaped her. She silently prayed that this was not happening, that it was just another one of her nightmares and her father would come into her room any minute and wake her. She felt something else enter her and she knew that this was no nightmare. She tried to block it all out, but she could feel him every time he thrust in and out of her. Tears of humiliation soaked the blindfold.

Time passed and so to did the person raping her, and he was replaced on and on. She lost count, she didn't want to know anymore. Not that she ever did. Someone removed the clamps on her nipples and with their removal blood rushed back, along with tremendous pain. She jerked and a muffled scream escaped her.

"Don't worry there's plenty more where that came from," the same terrifying voice spoke from nearby. She felt something cold press against her anus and she tried desperately to pull away, but there was no give. Then whatever it was that he held against her was pulled away. A moment later it touched her again, or rather slammed upwards into her. A scream of pain and surprise escaped around the gag. She felt his warm breath against her cheek as she gasped, trying to bring herself back under control. A burning pain was all she felt. Then he moved away from behind her and she felt something shove up with equal force and pain between her legs.

"I have to go for a while. Don't run off on me now," he laughed at his own little joke and then he was gone.

(Line breaker) – Turtle lair

"No," Elizabeth said to Splinter, who looked at her in shock. Then both his shaggy brows descended over his eyes.

"Now!" He said more sharply.

"No," she glared at him.

"Since when are you in charge of me?" She was angry, it didn't take a genius to see that.

"Perhaps we should talk instead," the old rat suggested. Elizabeth's hand cut through the air.

"No, no talk. No medicate!" She said. Splinter didn't bother to correct her, instead he nodded.

"If that is what you wish child," he said in his calm way.

"Stop talking," her chest heaved and she glowered at him with more hatred than he had ever seen in her.

"What is so special about her anyway! I mean aren't I special, shouldn't I be allowed to do what I want sometimes? Yet she gets you, people that love her and care about her. And what do I get? Nothing! I'm told to follow his orders and do what he says all the time and I never get to do what I want!" She was in Splinters face now, spittle flying from her mouth as she yelled at him.

"Elizabeth!" Raphael said sharply. He had heard the shouting; he wouldn't have been surprised if people topside had heard her. This was the first time he had heard her speak like this to Splinter. With some effort he calmed himself before he spoke again.

"What do you think you are doin?"

"Nothing, it doesn't matter! I'm going to sleep!" She made to move past him, but he grabbed her arm.

"Not until we talk about this," he said.

"Talk? All you want to do is talk. Has it ever occurred to you that not everything can be fixed by talking? Let me go," she glared at him with the same hatred that she had done with Splinter moments before. Reluctantly he let her arm go and she hurried from the room.

"Sit with me, my son," Splinter said. When Raph made no move to comply, he tapped his cane on the floor in front of him.

"It appears that you have just as much need of meditation this evening as your daughter does."

"Master…Sensei, I apologize she should not have spoken to you like that," Raphael said quietly.

"You have no need to take apologize for her, Raphael. I think that Elizabeth needs to learn that she needs to take responsibility for her own actions. However you will discuss it with her tomorrow when we have all had a chance to calm down. Right now you need to let your anger go, for anger if left run unchecked will destroy you from within." Splinter closed his eyes for a moment and then looked at his son as if waiting for something.

"You are right, Sensei. Sometimes I fail to see that I to can learn from the actions of those around me." Raph said. And then, they meditated together.

(Line breaker) – The following morning

Raphael knocked on her door.

"It's time to get up, Lizzie, we need to talk," he called through the door. He went to the kitchen where he knew Mikey had already prepared breakfast. He sat at the table, still managing to hold onto the calmness that had washed over him after meditating last night. When he was finished eating and Elizabeth had still not joined him, he stood up to go get her.

"I'll get her. Then I'll keep Donnie and Mikey away from here," Leo offered. Raph nodded and settled back in his chair, waiting for his daughter to join him.

"Donnie!" He heard Leo's yell. It wasn't the calm voice that Raph knew was Leo's usual tone. In fact the sound held something else to it and Raph was on his feet in an instant and out the door, Donnie was already in her room. Leo grabbed Raph by the shoulders.

"You don't want to go in there, Raph," his older brothers' voice was gentle.

"What's going on?" Mikey joined them. Raph broke free of Leo's grip and ran into her room and stopped dead. Donnie was crouched over Elizabeth who lay on the floor.

"What…?" Raph couldn't finish. Donnie looked up at him; he didn't have to say anything, the expression on his face told Raph all he needed to know.

"No," Raph whispered he shoved Donnie out of his way and dropped to his knees next to Elizabeth. He felt Donnie touch his shoulder, but ignored his brother. She was dead. His daughter had hung herself sometime during the night and no one. He had not even known. Then Mikey came over, curiosity taking over the youngest of the turtle. As if in some kind of daze Raph watched him.

"Where's the scar?" Mikey looked to Don.

"Mikey…" Don couldn't finish his question, but Mikey seemed to understand.

"She burnt her had pretty badly three days ago when she was helping me in the kitchen," Mike said. He held up the limp, lifeless hand for his brothers inspection.

"Scars like that don't just go away. Where's the scar?" He asked again. Donnie stared at him for a moment. Then his gaze turned to the hand in question, his eyes narrowed.

"Are you sure she burned it?" He asked.

"Don, I'm not imagining things. She burnt her hand badly enough to raise a blister. There's no sign that she burnt herself, none." Mikey looked confused. He stared at Donnie as if his brother could explain what was going on.

"I'll have to do an examination to find out if it's…" Donnie mumbled half to himself.

"Don? What are ya talking about?" Raph asked.

"I don't think…" Don shook his head as if not quite believing it himself.

"I don't know who this is, but it's not Elizabeth," he finished. Raph stared at him as if he was crazy.

(Line breaker) – Somewhere else

It slashed across her back, adding to the searing pain that had already been inflicted over the last few hours, days…she wasn't sure anymore. He rarely talked to her and when he did it was just to please himself. He had been whipping her for just over an hour now. Taking his time. He set aside the plain whip he had been using on her and traced one finger across her reddened back, the skin was still unbroken. That would all change soon enough. He picked up the scourge almost reverently. A vicious weapon with pieces of glass embedded in tails and metal claws at the tips. He was going to enjoy himself. He drew back his arm and let fly. The whip hit her with a satisfying sound and a loud; though muffled scream from his victim. He pulled his arm back again and admired the scratches in her back and the larger deeper holes that welled blood that had been caused by the claws. She struggled a small amount trying to relieve the biting pain in her back; the restraints only allowed her to move a little after all. He put one hand on her shoulder.

"Don't bother. You're not going to go anywhere this time," he assured her.


	3. Chapter 3

She hung limply by her nailed wrists. The pain in her body by far, overshadowed the pain in her wrists. It didn't matter which way she tried to twist her body, it only made the pain worse anyways. She wanted to go home. She wanted to look up and see her father and uncles come tearing into the room, ready to fight the minions of hell itself to get her home. She knew that this wasn't going to happen. She didn't want to die, she was afraid of it.

Something was jabbed into the small of her back and she jerked and twisted. Futilely trying to escape the burning brand that he was torturing her with. Was there no end to the pain!

At the Turtle's Lair...

Raph sat in a daze. For once he was numbed with silence. Elizabeth wasn't dead! Leo and Don were running through various scenarios. Where then was she? How could they find her? What were their odds of even being able to find her? And on it went...

"I found something," April announced. Her eyes glowed slightly in the faint light from her laptop computer. She and Casey had come down to the Lair, as soon as Leo contacted them and had asked for their help. Don leaned over her shoulder, and traced one finger along a map that she had up on the screen before her.

"This could be it," he said quietly.

"It might not be," April corrected softly. "It's only a possibility."

"This has to be it. Take a look," Don insisted, and explained why this must be the place that Elisabeth is at.

"I think you're right," April said.

Leo nodded his head, "Ok...then this is what we're going to do," and came up with a workable plan. Because he knew the place was likely to be very heavily guarded. More than likely by the Elite themselves.

Raph spoke for the first time in hours, "Yeah, but ya' forgot one thing..." Leo looked at him with compassion in his eyes, and motioned for him to continue speaking.

"Do ya' think he just brought her down there ta' have a little chat with her? Ta' tell her how much he missed her?" Raph's eyes filled with grief as he continued speaking, "When we get there she'll probably be dead! That's if this is where he's keeping her!"

"Believe me bro' I know how you feel," Leo said sympathetically.

"Don't pretend ya' know how I feel Leo. Ya' have no idea." Raph replied, his voice evoid of any other feeling.

"You're right...I don't," confessed Leo quietly. "But that doesn't mean that I don't love her. Or that I won't do anything and everything I can, to bring her home where she belongs. Raph, we need to work on this together, and we need to do it now."

Don stood beside his red masked brother, "Leo is right about this, Raph. We need to work together. We go in and find Elisabeth and get her out."

Raph turned fear filled eyes toward his brothers, "What if...what if it's too late?"

"Then we'll deal with that as a family, once we know that it's a certainty," Leo stated, as he laid a comforting hand on Raph's shoulder.

Meanwhile at the warehouse...

She screamed around her gag. The terrible, pitiful screams of someone in so much never ending pain. Elisabeth still hung by her nailed wrists. They yanked painfully as the two huge Elite took turns raping her. Each of them slamming into her in a rhythm all their own. Long fingernails scraped new gouges into her already ruined body. Along with slashes that had been cut into her with a razor sharp katana. Eventually the two Elite finished raping and cutting her, and stood back from her grinning evilly. Not that she could see their evil grins, for her blindfold had been put back into place. She felt something fall over her head and tighten around her throat. It became harder and harder for her to breath, then she couldn't breath at all. She struggled against this new torture. But not being able to loosen the noose around her throat, she was slowly being strangled. She weakened and just simply stopped struggling. Elisabeth looked death in the face and even welcomed it. Finally, something that would put an end to her torture forever! But

just as she was about to pass out from the lack of oxygen, the noose was loosened. And against her own free will, her lungs gratefully sucked in the free air. After a few minutes the noose was tightened again. And she knew that her tormentor will make this go on until he tired of this torture. Then he would do something else to her just as equally bad...if not worse. She sobbed and cursed herself for her inability to just allow

herself to die!

Outside the warehouse...

"Casey says he and Don are ready," Mikey reported to Leo. The three of them...Leo, Mikey, and Raph, crouched and waited silently in the shadows near the warehouse.

"Then let's get this thing done," Leo whispered back to Mikey.

Leo stood up and led the way through the shadows...Raph and Mikey not far behind him. Leo knew that from their position, Don and Casey were doing the same. He also knew that they would have to fight their way in, and possibly out as well. Each of them would earn their share of injuries in the process. That's what you did for family. What Leo had said to Raph earlier was true. He could not back down and conveniently forget Elisabeth. Leo looked at his tempermental brother. Concern for his daughter was etched on Raph's face. And Leo will do anything that needed to be done, to get Elisabeth safely back into her father's arms. And he knew that deep down, Raph appreciated what his family was doing for him, even if he didn't say it.

Inside the warehouse...

A tiny moan escaped her...that was all. The Shredder realised that he was very close to breaking her. She had certainly held out for a long enough time, and through enough pain, that even he was marginally impressed. He might even honor her by giving her a quick death. But that wouldn't be for a while yet. The claw on the back of his hand sliced slowly through the muscles and flesh of her stomach. From the bottom of her ribs on the left side to the top of her right hip, he dragged his claw. Blood instantly welled to the surface and ran down her thighs. She no longer struggled, she hung limply. That was when the alarm went off. They were here...he knew it. With a growl of displeasure Shredder glared at one of his men, as if he were responsible for this intrusion. He gave her one last glance. The wooden poles, with their individual tools attached to them, was then jammed roughly into both her anus and vagina.

"I have business elsewhere. But don't worry, I shall be back soon to continue," he said. He doubted if she heard him or even if she cared. He'd beaten the turtles before. And Shredder had years to contemplate on what he had done wrong the last time, that allowed the turtles to escape from his clutches. He was more than prepared to meet them this time.

"Do whatever you want to her. Just make sure that she doesn't die," he ordered his men before he left. As he left the room, he knew that they understood what would happen to them if she did die. He smiled to himself. That would not mean that they wouldn't enjoy themselves. Besides, it would be good for her.

One of the men pulled a penknife from his pocket. It was a good penknife Too, the blades was extremely sharp. He looked up at the Shredder's captive and smiled cruelly. He stepped up close to her until she could feel his breath on her.

"I doubt you're going to enjoy this as much as I am. But hey, it's not like you can do anything about it anyways," he said. Good thing she was stretched out like this. He wouldn't want her to move and for him to cut something important. Steve Jans took pride in his work. He was one of those people that tortured innocent animals when he was a kid. As he grew older he moved on to torturing people. That was what he enjoyed doing the most. He liked to be able to work his knives over people who were still alive, and able to feel it. An opportunity like this didn't come up that often. But when it did Steve grabbed it. He knew that he wouldn't get the preliminaries of scaring his victim. Or running by with a little mental torture, so he just dived right in. He pulled out one of the medium sized blades on his knife, and pressed it against her right shoulder. And kept on pressing until it finally broke the skin. Then he dug it in some more and started to slice the knife downward, until it was little above her right breast. She didn't have a bad body either for a fifteen year old. But he never allowed himself to get distracted in the middle of a job. He withdrew the knife. And about three inches in from the original cut, he stabbed the knife in and repeated the process. When he was done he put the knife down on a nearby table. Taking either side of the soft skin, he started peeling it downwards. When he was done, he moved behind her with the knife and started a long cut down her spine...starting at her neck and ending just above her butt. Once again he laid his knife down and started peeling back the skin, revealing the white bones of her spine. All this time she didn't make a sound. Maybe she had finally lost her mind. Finished, he stepped

back to admire his work. Not bad, especially considering he was a little pressed for time.

"Let's go and get something to eat. I'm starved after doing all of this," he said to his comrade. The two men left together, laughing and chatting about what else they would do to her, when they returned. They got as far as the small kitchenette and froze. Waiting inside was two angry humanoid turtles...one of them wore a blue mask, the other wore a red one. The fact that the corriders on the way here had been quiet, had not struck the two humans as being odd. The fight was short. The two humans were more into torturing people, than to be fighting real ninja.

Donatello and Michalangelo...

The two had split up from their brothers and Casey a while ago, knowing that they'd get done faster, if they worked the warehouse separately. Now they stood in a long corridor with doors on both sides.

"You take the left side, I'll take the right," Don said. Mikey nodded wordlessly and started opening doors, checking for hidden Foot soldiers within the rooms. He was thorough in his search, not wanting any of them to jump at him later on. So far there have been none. He opened the door to a fourth room and froze, shocked into silence and inaction, for he had found Elizabeth. He hurried toward her and moved his hands to untie

the ropes from her wrists. As he got closer Mikey realized with horror that she wasn't tied. But that she was nailed to the crossbeam that she hung from! Instead, he removed the gag from her mouth and the blindfold from her head. He was trying to find a way of getting her down when she spoke.

"Uncle Mikey...?" Her voice was barely above a whisper, and he yelped and jumped back as he looked up at her. Her eyes looked back down at him and slowly blinked once, twice.

"Is it you?"

"Yeah, yeah, it's me. I'm going to have to go and get Don, and we'll get you down from there...ok?" Mikey said nervously.

"No, don't…" she coughed but didn't go on. Instead, her eyes slowly closed. Mikey watched her for a moment. A part of him thought that she had died already, and he hurriedly turned to go find Don.

"Come back!" her voice stopped him. "No leave me!"

"I'm just going to get Don," Mikey reassured her. "I need his help and I'll be right back."

"Please stay...they come back?" she asked in fear. Mikey looked at her and he just couldn't say no.

"Donatello!" he yelled. She winced, and he immediately regretted hollering and came back to her.

"I'm sorry for hollering and I won't be going anywhere. I'm staying right here...ok?" he said reassuringly, as he looked up at her.

"Mikey, what...!" Don skidded to a halt as he came inside the door. He stared up at Elisabeth. A pool of blood that he knew was hers had gathered underneath her. Bruises, cuts, and burns competed for places all over her ruined body. A long strip of flesh hung grotesquely from her shoulder. And what were those things stuck in her?

"Don, we have to get her down!" Mikey insisted. Don nodded dumbly as he came toward them. He managed to tear his eyes away from her to focus on something else. Anything other than looking at what they had done to her. He had brought a bag full of bandaging, ointments, and other equipment he thought he might need. But he wasn't sure that he'd brought enough. He carefully and gently removed the poles first. He then took what looked like pliers out of his bag.

"Hold her up Mikey," he instructed his brother. Then Don finally looked Elizabeth in the eyes. And what he saw there wanted him to back down and stop...but he couldn't.

"I'm sorry, Lizzie," Don mumbled. Then he climbed up on the table and closed the pliers around the nail in one wrist, and yanked it out in one swift movement. Her arm fell down and hit Mikey on the head, but he didn't seem to notice. Don moved to her other side and repeated the process. This time her whole upper body fell forward, and she would have hit Mikey's carapace, if he had not stumbled and lost his hold on her. She then fell on the floor. A howl of agony escaped her lips, and then she started thrashing around like a fish out of water. Don dropped next to her, and quickly moved her over on her side. He visibly flinched, as he saw the skin that had been peeled back from her spine. He immediately tossed his shell cell to Mikey.

"Tell Raph to get here now!" he ordered. Mikey fumbled with the cell until he finally managed to get Leo. Quickly he explained what happened, and Leo said that they'd be right there. Mikey then put the cell away and crouched next to Don. Guilt over having dropped her in the first place, made him stay silent.

Don pointed at his bag, "Mikey! Give me the bottle marked iodine." Obviously this wasn't the first time he had asked. Finally hearing him, Mikey rifled through the bag looking for the bottle and handed it to Don, along with a packet of cotton pads.

Don doused some iodine in the pads, and gently started wiping her back with it. Elisabeth acted as if he had pressed a red hot poker against her. She screeched and jerked away from him. She then tried to crawl away from Don, but collapsed face first on the floor, causing the ripped belly and torn flesh of her shoulder to drag along the floor. She lay

there gasping for breath, and trying not to cry out in pain.

Raph ran into the room, Leo a step behind him, "What the hell is going on! He stopped so suddenly that Leo almost ran right into him. Raph's jaw dropped when he saw his daughter. His face turned into a dark scowl, and a low angry growl escaped him.

"Raph!" Leo snapped.

"What!" Raph glared at his brother for a moment.

"Now isn't the time Raph," Don looked up from where he was kneeling on the floor. Raph took a deep breath and let it hiss out between clenched teeth. He wanted to go hunt down every single Foot soldier that was in this place, and kill them all. He stared at his daughter who was still sprawled face down on the floor. He knew that his brother was right.

Don stared at him with urgent eyes, "I need your help right now, Raph!"

"Yeah," Raph nodded his head jerkily.

"What do ya' want me ta' do?"

"Every time I try to clean her wounds, Elizabeth moves away. Which will make her injuries worse. I need you to hold her. Keep her steady so I can do this as fast as I can, and we can all get out of here." Raph walked over to where Elisabeth laid on the floor, and sat down in front of her. Slowly...painfully, she raised her head and looked up at him. No more pain, her eyes seemed to plead with him.

"Lift her up under her arms, and rest her left side against you," Don stated. He didn't want her shoulder getting any worse. Raph followed his instructions, and was surprised by how light she felt. Gently he pulled her against his plastron. Her head then dropped onto her chest, and she just sat there. Don moved toward them with a new iodine soaked pad in his hand. He started to wipe her wounds gently and carefully. But she howled in pain anyways, and jerked away from Don involuntarily, causing Leo and Mikey to cringe at her reactions.

"Hold her Raph," Don said from between clenched teeth. For a moment Raph didn't want to do that. There seemed to be no part of her that wasn't injured in some way. Eventually he just placed one hand on her left shoulder, and the other on her right hip holding her firmly, but gently. Even then she struggled every time Don touched her ruined back.

"Can't ya' give her somethin'!" Raph demanded frantically. Don shook his head 'no'.

"She hasn't eaten anything in a while Raph, and I don't think they gave her much to drink. On top of which she's lost a lot of blood. If I give her anything right now it could kill her," Don replied in a hurry, and continued what he was a doing. Raph cringed inwardly as he saw what his brother was doing, and tried to block everything else out of his mind.

"It's ok," he murmured to her. Angry the red masked turtle may have been. But when it came to his daughter, he became something that he could never be with anyone else.

"Nononono!" her head shook back and forth violently.

"Yeah, we'll be going home soon and it'll be ok. I'll take good care of ya' baby, don't ya' worry." Raph's voice was gentle.

"C-cold," Elisabeth uttered as she huddled against him, even though he knew it must be causing her more pain.

"Don has a blanket that ya' can have later after he's done. Ok, baby?"

" 'm sorry," she mumbled thickly against his plastron.

"Ya' got nothin' to be sorry for. I'm sorry for not findin' ya' sooner. I feel like it's my fault for them takin' ya' in the first place." Raph didn't know what else to say. But anyways she passed out, probably from the pain she was in.

Sensing Raph's concern about Elizabeth not being awake Don said, "Not passed out, fell asleep," he mumbled, as he taped a temporary bandage to her back, and moved around in front of her to look at her stomach.

"How can anyone sleep through the kind of pain she must be in?" Leo asked in a horrified voice.

"She feels safe now," Don replied simply.

"And her pain has finally given into exhaustion. Most of these injuries were caused over the last few days. I doubt she was allowed to get much rest until now."

Don's lips drew back from his teeth slightly, as he inspected the wounds on her stomach and shoulder. He quickly disinfected and bandaged them. Then he draped the blanket over her and nodded to Raph. "There's not much more I can do here. Let's get her back to the Lair, and I can take care of the rest there."

Leo came forward with concern, "Here...let me help." Raph waved him off as he stood lifting his daughter in his arms. Her head rested against his shoulder now, and her face had that pained expression on it. Even in sleep, she couldn't get relief from what those bastards had done to her!


	4. Chapter 4

Raph settled her into one of the seats in the back of the van, and strapped her in loosely. Immediately, he took the chair near her. They were soon joined by Casey, and he cringed when he saw Elizabeth.

"Geeze! They sure did do a number on her," he muttered. He saw Raph glaring at him, and strapped himself into a seat without another word. Mikey was driving, as Don was tending to a wound that Leo had sustained in the battle.

"Slow it down a little bit, Mikey," Don said, as he also took a seat. Raph stared out of one of the tinted windows, buried in his thoughts. How could those bastards do that to her? Hasn't she been through enough already?

"There was nothing that you could had done, Raph," Leo softly spoke.

"Yeah? Tell that ta' her!" He nodded his head in Elizabeth's direction. Only then did he notice that she was staring at him. He reached for her hand and then decided against it, remembering the nail wounds in her wrists.

"You ok, Lizzie?" he asked. _Idiot! Of course she isn't ok,_ he berated himself. She didn't say anything, just continued to stare at him. Then she started making choking noises and her whole body jerked and spasmed.

"Lizzie! What the...Donatello!" Raph struggled to get the seatbelt off of himself. Don had better luck with his. He shot out of his seat and was at his niece's side, unbuckling her belt in seconds! He gently laid her on the floor of the van. He then grabbed a bandage strip from the bag. Opening her mouth, he quickly stuck his fingers in, and pulled her

tongue back out of her throat. Then he pulled the bandage like a gag across her mouth, preventing her from gnashing her teeth together. Raph finally managed to free himself and then stood, not sure what to do.

"What's wrong with her!" he yelled.

"It's just a seizure," explained Don.

"Just a...ya' say that like it's a good thing!" Raph snapped.

"You want me to stop!" Mikey yelled from up front.

"No. Keep driving. It isn't as bad as you think it is...at least I Hope not," Don muttered the last part. Finally she quietened down and laid still, her eyes blinking slowly. Then once more she renewed her struggles. She tried to remove the bandage that Don had stuck between her lips, as her eyes frantically darted about. Don promptly removed the bandage and tossed it aside. He pulled a penlight from his bag and flashed it in her eyes. She weakly batted the light away as she tried to cover her face. Don then put the light back into the bag.

"She's ok," he said to her very relieved father. Also causing Leo, Mikey and Casey to relax.

"Help me get her up." Don looked at Raph who moved in straight away, and they lifted her together. They put her back in her seat. All the time she was making soft mewling sounds, like a kitten in pain. Don returned to his seat. But he stayed alert for anything else that might happen to her. Raph crouched in front of Elizabeth. Ignoring the motion of the van, he moved his hand gently down her cheek.

"It's ok, baby. I'm right here," he comforted. After a long moment she stopped making noises, and drifted back into sleep. Raph stayed where he was, until they got back to the warehouse above the sewers. Raph then gathered her into his arms tenderly, and they headed down to the Lair. He put her gently on the bed in the infirmary, and then looked at Don.

"What ya' need me ta' help with?" he asked. Don glanced nervously at him. He knew that Raph wasn't going to like what he was going to say.

"Actually, April is going to help me," he said. Raph stared at him for a long moment.

"What!" he finally exploded.

"This is my daughter, Don!"

"Which is exactly why you shouldn't be here, Raph. They did some things to her. And you really don't want to see that when I examine her," Don said.

"What things?" Raph asked fearfully. Don sighed. He shouldn't have said that.

"I'll tell you later. Right now you need to let take care of her. Trust me, bro'. As soon as I'm done I'll tell you everything...ok?" Don looked deep into Raph's eyes.

"Yeah, just...if she wakes up again, make sure she ain't scared." Raph took one last look at his sleeping daughter, and then left the infirmary. Not even acknowledging April, as she came in and closed the door behind her. Don washed his hands with the disinfectant wash. And April put on a pair of sterile latex gloves. He lifted Elizabeth up and held her against his plastron, while April removed the blanket. She let out a loud gasp, as she saw the injuries that covered Elizabeth from head to toe. Don gently laid her back down on the clean sheet that April spread out on the bed. Then he went to wash his hands again while April changed her gloves, and started to get more bandages and equipment ready. Under Don's instruction she hooked up a fluid IV, and set it to flow as fast as possible. Don looked at the IV bag and then at April.

"You get them?" he asked. She gestured to where the bags of blood were.

"Let's get these in her fast." Don grabbed one of the bags himself, and quickly switched it with the fluid bag. April started peeling off the bandages that he had put on Elizabeth earlier, revealing the worst of her wounds. Don knew he was going to have to stitch the torn flesh of her right shoulder, and long cut on her spine, and he was readying what he'd need to do it. All this time Elizabeth hadn't woke up and didn't make a single noise. But as soon as April touched her shoulder with the gauze and disinfectant, she screamed. There was a crashing sound nearby, and Don knew that Raph had probably been standing outside the infirmary. They both heard Leo's quiet, reasoning voice talking to Raph, trying to calm him down. Don ignored this as he moved quickly to the top of the bed, both of his hands cupping her face. He was reminded of when she first came to the Lair all those years ago, and she had been afraid of him. Because he was usually carrying some sort of tool around, and she always thought he was going to do something to her with them. Since that time she had come to trust him.

"Look at me Lizzie," he said gently. He could feel the muscles in her neck as she struggled. He repeated himself, "Look at me."

Her eyes were darting around, never stopping long enough to actually see anything. Then her eyes locked on his and stayed. He could see the terror in her eyes and feel her trembling.

"We're not going to let anything bad happen...ok?" he said. At first she tried to nod, and then she shook her head jerkily.

"I know you're scared. But you're safe here."

"O-ok," she finally whispered.

Don didn't look away from her as he spoke to April. "Keep cleaning," he said.

He felt Lizzie stiffen as April wiped her wounds clean, and small sobs escaped her. He took a moment to change the IV for another pouch of fresh blood.

"Don, take a look at this," April said. Don joined her, and inspected the wound near the top of her inner thigh. It had small pieces of glass embedded in it. He tried to remove a piece of the broken glass with plastic tweezers.

"Nooo," Elizabeth moaned. Don stopped what he was doing, and put the tweezers aside.

"Just clean around it," he told April. She looked at him, confused as to why he wasn't to do it now. He pulled her away out of earshot of Elizabeth.

"Once that bag is empty, it should be ok to knock her out for a while." He glanced back toward Elizabeth who was now laying still again, all of her energy probably spent.

He lowered his voice, "When we found her they had these things stuck in her. I'm pretty sure they raped her, and probably just not the conventional way," he felt sick just saying it.

"How in the hell can someone do that to another human being?" April asked in disgust.

"Well, judging from what I saw, it's more than a possibility," Don said sadly. April went back to cleaning the less serious burns and injuries. Don noticed that she was being extra careful, trying not to cause the girl any pain.

Don brought the x-ray machine over, and positioned it over Elizabeth's head,

"What...what for?" Lizzie asked.

"It's just for a minute, honey," April told her.

"It's to check and make sure that you're ok." April didn't think that the girl would fully understand what the machine was for. Don moved quickly as he could, taking as many x-rays as needed. He'd take one of her back later on.

"It's almost empty," April said, referring to the bag of blood.

"Good," Don said tersely. He picked up a syringe and filled it.

"Needles...no," Lizzie looked at him with pleading eyes. He glanced at April who just shrugged.

"I need to Lizzie. So I can help you to feel better."

"NO!" The word exploded from her, as she frantically shook her head. Don sighed loudly. She always hated needles, he knew that. Then he remembered something else, and put the needle down.

"Ok. No needles...alright?" he said.

"Ok," she stared at him. As if not quite trusting that he wouldn't use the needle on her still. He rolled the gas bottle over. It was already attached to a face mask.

"I'm just going to put this on for a minute, and then you'll sleep for a while." He waited for a moment until she nodded. And then he placed the gas mask on, until it covered her mouth and nose.

"Just take some deep breaths," he instructed her. Within a few minutes her eyes had drifted closed, and her breathing deepened. He took the mask off, and set it down on the gas cylinder.

"Let's get to work." He picked up a needle and carefully started stitching up her shoulder. Once he was done, he had April loosely bandage it.

Meanwhile in the Dojo...

Raph pounded away at the punching bag. He imagined the punching bag first as the Shredder, then as one of the Elite. Splinter had been watching his temperamental son for some time. Eventually, he decided to step in.

"Ahhh...you are so angry my son," Splinter said, as he placed one paw on Raph's shoulder.

"Come...we shall have some tea," his tone left no room for arguments. So Raph followed Splinter to his room, where Leo had prepared some tea them and then left.

"Sit." Splinter sat down and crossed his legs, as Raph sat down in front of him.

"I want ta' be with her!" Raph exploded. Splinter handed him a cup of tea, and then poured one for himself.

"Your brother is right, Raphael," Splinter said. Raph opened his mouth, a retort at the ready. Splinter held up his paw.

"Tell me one thing. Do you want to be there for her, or for yourself?"

"For..." Raph started. Splinter raised one eyebrow and Raph knew that he couldn't lie.

"...both of us," he finished.

"Exactly. Donatello was also looking out for you. He does not want you to see your child in pain. For that will also cause you to be in pain. In fact, I think he wishes to speak to you now." Splinter took a sip of his tea. Donatello entered the room, and bowed to Splinter.

"I apologize for interrupting, Sensei," he said.

"I shall leave you two alone," Splinter stated.

"Please...Master Splinter. Stay," Raph asked, and then he looked at Don expectantly.

"I've done all I can for her. She will heal fully...at least physically," said Don.

"Ya' said that ya' would tell me what those bastards did ta' her!" Raph exclaimed. Don took a seat across from Raph.

"Yes, I did." Don took a deep breath wondering where to start.

"She has a broken wrist from where she was nailed up. Various slashed cuts from a knife, and some type of sword. Someone, as you saw earlier, peeled the skin on her right shoulder and over her spine. I'm going to have to watch that, to make sure it doesn't get infected. Some burns that were made my metal, those weren't too bad." Don paused, not wanting to reveal the last part.

"What are ya' not tellin' me?" asked Raph suspiciously.

"When Mikey and I found her, she had some kind of wooden poles with spikes on it stuck in her…front part and back part, which caused a lot of internal damage. Before that, he had men rape her both vaginally and anally. Numerous times they used knives, broken bottles, and many other objects that I couldn't identify. She was very badly torn up on the

inside, but I repaired most of the damage." When Don himself had seen the extent of the damage, he had felt a wave of anger come over him. Raph just stared at him for a moment, his brow wrinkled as he tried to understand what was told him. Raph's head then dropped into his hands, and his whole body shook. Don heard a sob coming from his brother, and looked at his father.

"I had to tell him," Don said helplessly.

"And you were right in doing so. He needed to know. Now leave us, my son," Splinter said. Splinter went to his crying son, and sat beside him.

"Tell him that he can come and visit with Elizabeth," then Don wasted no time getting out of there and back to the infirmary.

Splinter touched Raphael's shoulder in comfort, but the turtle continued to cry, "Sometimes bad things happen that we have no control over. Yet, when it happens to a parent, it is so much more bitter. As parents we are blessed and cursed in that we have to live with that which our children have to go through. We have to deal with our child's pain as well as our own." Splinter sigh softly, as Raphael finally looked at him through tear filled eyes.

"How in the hell can she go through this? After what they did ta' her, how can she survive!" exclaimed Raph.

"She has me, her uncles and a very loving father. Sometimes all we can do is to be there for them...to hold them and to wipe away their tears when they cry. She will be like this for the next several weeks, maybe even months."

"All that pain and I did nothin' ta' stop it!" Raph clenched his fists. Splinter reached over, and with his paw, wiped away the tears that fell from Raphael's eyes.

"You could have done nothing," Splinter smiled gently at his son.

"I know this is not the first time you have cried because of her."

"What...?" Raph didn't finish.

"You think that you are the only one who has shed tears, because of the pain that they see their child in? Many times I have cried over you, Leonardo, Donatello, and Michalangelo. This is what it means to be a father...you feel Elizabeth's hurt. All children, no matter their age, see their parents as the strong ones. She needs to know you will not fall apart. Or leave her by herself to deal with this." Splinter looked searchingly into Raphael's eyes.

"I would never...I could never leave her alone to deal with this!" Raph said defensively.

"You mistake my meaning, my son. We can all pretend that nothing is wrong, when inside all we feel is emptiness and pain. We can feel that as though everyone has abandoned us, when we need them the most. You of all know best that Elizabeth does not like to talk about what troubles her. You will have to be there, and listen to what she says. Sometimes, all we need is for someone that loves us, to listen to us, and hear what we have to say. Even though we may not understand, or want to do something else. You must be the rock that she clings to in this storm. And she must know that you will not waver in your support. Or feel any differently about her, no matter what she chooses to tell you," Splinter told him.

"I...I understand, Sensei," Raph said. He took a deep gulping breath and stood up, wiping the last of his tears from his eyes.

"I think I should go to her now."

"It is where you need to be right now, Raphael," Splinter smiled understandingly. Raph opened the door of Splinter's room, and was about to leave when his father spoke again.

"Do not cry in the shadows like I have done, my son. Come to me, and I will be the shoulder for you to cry on."

"Thank you father," Raph said to him.


	5. Chapter 5

Part 5

The turtle's lair…

Raphael sat in what was probably the most uncomfortable chair ever to have been invented, or so he thought anyway. Despite the discomfort he was in he wouldn't have left for anything. Every few hours Don would try and persuade him to get some sleep, but Raph would wave him off. This was where he had to be, where he wanted to be. Elizabeth lay on the bed; her chest rose and fell with each breath. She had not woken up once, but Don had assured him that it was more due to the fact that she probably needed the sleep than anything else. Don came over and examined her like he had done every two hours for the last nine hours.

"Hmm," Don muttered.

"What's wrong?" Raphael asked worriedly.

"What…? Oh, nothing. Just her temperature is a little higher than it should be. She's starting to heal, it's normal," Don told him as he sat down behind his desk again. Raph nodded once, and squeezed her hand a little. He was surprised when she gave a small squeeze back. She blinked a number of times and then focused on him.

"She's awake," Raph told Don. Don hurried over and started another check on her.

"How are you feeling, Lizzie?"

"…Hurts…" she rasped.

"I know, I've given you something for the pain," Don said. He didn't tell her that he had given her as much as he could for now.

"Water?"

"Of course, there's a jug and a cup there, Raph," Don pointed to the nightstand. Then he went back to his work, letting father and daughter have a little privacy. Raph filled the cup and helped her sit up a little so she could drink; he didn't miss the grimace of pain on her face as he did so. She started to gulp down the cool liquid and almost instantly started to cough.

"Not so fast," Raph pulled the cup away.

"Thirsty," she tried to grab the cup but he set it down on the nightstand and settled her back on the pillows.

"You should probably get some more rest," Don said.

"No…tired," she said. Raph tucked the blanket in around her.

"Don's right. I'll be right here when you wake up, I promise," he told her. She nodded lazily already she was falling asleep. He watched her sleeping.

A few years before…

"What ya mean?" Raph asked after he allowed a six-year-old Elizabeth to give him a hug. He followed April and Casey into the kitchen.

"Just what April said, Raph. She got inta a fight with another kid at the park," Casey explained.

"What kinda fight? What'd the other kid do ta her?" He snapped.

"Nothing, all he did was take one of the new toys I got her and she managed to kick him and punch him once before Casey got to her," April said.

"His mother had to take him to the hospital for a few stitches,"

"Well then the kid probably deserved it," Raph said. Casey glanced at April who sighed.

"Don't you get it Raph? She hit him hard enough that he had to go to the hospital and now she thinks that there's nothing wrong with what she did. Where do you suppose she got that from?" April asked.

"If I knew that I wouldn't be askin," he said.

"You're askin the wrong people that question, Raph," Casey told him. Raphael let out a growl as he stared at both of his friends.

"Yer right, listen thanks for takin her to the park; she's been askin me for ages. I'll sort this out, it won't happen again," he said.

"See ya later, bro," Casey said. He and April left the lair and Raphael stayed in the kitchen for a moment longer, letting himself cool off a bit first. He went to the door of the kitchen.

"Lizzie, come here," he said. Elizabeth glanced at Mikey, who smiled comfortingly at her and then nodded towards the kitchen.

"You got into a fight?" Raph asked as soon as she came in. She looked confused as she shook her head.

"That's not what Casey and April told me," he waited with a patience that he usually didn't have.

"Not fight…Uncle Mikey-" she was cut ff.

"Don't bring your Uncle into this, he wasn't even there!" he snapped harshly.

"N-no," she stuttered, Raph could see she was getting nervous and he regretted his tone, but he couldn't change that now.

"You an' Uncle Mikey fight…but never hurts," she stared up at him earnestly.

"Didn't hurts him…"

"He had ta go ta the hospital, which means that ya hurt him real bad," he told her.

"No," she mumbled and he could see the tears in her eyes, she was confused that he was angry at her she hadn't done anything wrong.

"Yeah, ya did."

"No…" she took a deep breath.

"You and Uncle Mikey hits all the time and he no have hurts. I just do what you do, not hurts him just wants my things," she wailed. Raphael froze about to say something and closed his eyes briefly. Now he knew what April meant when she had asked whom she had gotten it from.

"Doin same you do," she said.

"Yeah, I know," he said. She wiped the back of her hand across her nose and stared up at him fearfully, not knowing what she had done wrong. He grabbed some kitchen towel and crouched in front of her, he pulled her hand away from her face and gently wiped her eyes with the tissue.

"Look, I didn't mean ta snap at ya, baby," he said.

"Angry," she sniffled.

"No, I'm not angry at you," he told her. Angry at himself maybe, he should have known that this would happen, him and Mikey were always fooling around, of course he and Mikey were trained ninja so they knew how to roll with the punches. Which gave Raph an idea; he picked her up in his arms and carried her to the dojo.

"You've been in here before. It's where Master Splinter trains us to be ninja," he said as he set her down on the floor in front of him. Leo stopped the katas he had been doing and came over.

"Raph, what are you doing bringing Lizzie in here?" He asked. Raph put both his hands on his daughters' shoulders.

"I think it's about time that she started her training ta be a ninja," he said.

"Raph, she's just a kid," Leo said.

"Yeah, and how old were we when Master Splinter started training us?" Raph asked him, one eye ridge raised. He went over to the weapon rack and took two small wooden swords and gave them to her she promptly dropped them. Raph chuckled and picked them up for her.

"I know how you feel, but try to hold on to them," he told her. She blushed a little and mumbled something.

"What was that, baby? I didn't hear ya," Raph asked.

"Not hold them to small, keep falling," she said. Raph cursed himself, having forgotten that she couldn't hold onto anything to small.

"Oh, sorry…hmm let's see," he put the swords back and picked up the bo stick that Don had used when he was much smaller. This she gripped in both her hands and grinned up at him.

"Good, I gotta talk ta yer Uncle Leo fer a while, ok?" He asked. She nodded and started to test the weight of the bo stick in her hands, trying to remember how her Uncle Donnie did it.

"What's up, Raph?" Leo asked his brother as soon as they were a few feet away from the little girl.

"I dunno…I always knew that keepin her here would be hard, I just never thought that…" Raph broke off shaking his head slightly.

"Casey and April just brought her back, she punched another kid causing the him ta have ta be brought to the hospital for stitches,"

"So you decided that instead of letting her punch kids you were going to teach her to be a professional ninja so she could do it properly? Great thinking, Raph," Leo said sarcastically.

"No," Raph sighed.

"She told me that she did it 'cause she'd seen me and Mikey fighting and we never get hurt. She learned ta do that from watching what I did. I kinda figured that if she learned ninjitsu then maybe she could learn how to control herself if another situation like that came up again."

"Yeah, like that's worked really well for you, right?" Leo smirked at him. Raphael glared back.

"Relax, I'm kidding, bro. Actually I think that's a good idea, it could work," Leonardo had started taking over much of their training as Splinter got older, so it was a good sign that he agreed with Raph's plan.

"Let me train her though,"

"But-" Raphael started.

"No arguments. The reason as to why she ended up here in the first place should tell you that training her yourself really isn't a good idea."

"Yeah, I guess yer right," Raphael said.

"Well we might as well start with her training now. See you later, Raph," Leo said pointedly.

"And by the way, Raph, you might want to watch your language around her as well," he added as Raph was leaving.

"What me-?"

"Shit!" As if on cue the little girl snapped the word as she dropped the bo stick on the floor. Leo just raised an eye ridge at his brother and grinned.

The infirmary, normal time again…

Raph smiled a little at the memory, if only this problem could be solved by a trip to the dojo.

Her eyes moved under her eyelids. She was having nightmares, Raph could tell that.

"Wake up, baby, yer havin another nightmare," he said as gently shook her.

"Sorry…" she mumbled sleepily.

"Ya don't need ta apologize, s'okay," he murmured. She nodded once and went back to sleep. After making Raph promise to call him if he was needed Don had long since headed for his own room to catch a few hours of rest. Raph was on his own with his daughter. So far she hadn't spoken much, if at all. He watched her for another few minutes in silence.

"Ya ain't sleepin," he said. She opened her eyes slowly, looked at him and then turned her head to stare at the wall.

"Look…" he paused for a moment.

"I know yer thinkin that I don't understand, and yer probably right. All I know is that if ya need to talk I'll listen to ya," he sounded lame even to himself. She continued to stare at the wall, as if he hadn't said anything.

"Come on, Lizzie. What they did to ya was bad. I know yer hurtin'," he clenched his fists; he knew he was pushing her and maybe she wasn't ready yet.

" 'm tired," she muttered and promptly closed her eyes.

"Come, my son, it is time for you to practice," Splinter came into the infirmary with Leo.

"What about, Lizzie?" Raph asked.

"Leo, will sit with her for a while," Splinter informed him.

"I'll come get you if your needed, bro," Leo told him. Raphael took one last look at Elizabeth and then at Leo making sure that his brother understood. He stood up and followed Splinter to the dojo. Leo took the empty seat. He heard Elizabeth give a long sigh and she opened her eyes to look at him.

"Never leave him," she said quietly.

"You don't want your father here?" He asked, slightly confused.

"No…yes, but…" Her brow furrowed as she tried to figure out a way to explain what she meant.

"He say too much…" she blew an annoyed breath out.

"Want me to talk and I don't…can't," she made a sound of frustration and stopped talking, but Leo thought he knew what she meant.

"He's just trying to help. Maybe he isn't doing it the right way because he doesn't understand," he said.

"Yes, how make him know?" She stared at the wall behind him.

"Talk to him…or me, I mean if you want to talk to me," he said.

"Scared…" she looked at him again and he could see the fear in her eyes.

"How…how to say it, not know,"

"Tell him how you're feeling, just because you think he doesn't understand doesn't mean that he doesn't want to help you. But how can he help you if he doesn't know what's going on with you." He said. She had never been one to talk, he knew that and of all of them Leo thought that he was the last one that she would turn to.

The dojo…

"You are still angry," Splinter said. To Raph it sounded more like a statement than a question.

"She won't talk to me. How can I make her understand that I'm there for her?" He asked in frustration.

"She knows. Tell me one thing, Raphael. If it had been you that this had happened to would you be so eager and willing to talk about it?" Splinter asked calmly.

"I see yer point, it don't make me feel any better," he glared up at the ceiling for a moment and then at Splinter.

"I can see the pain in her eyes every time that she looks at me, I want so badly to take that pain away…make it my own, y'know?"

"Yes, that is what makes you a good father. You want to take her pain and fear away so that she will no longer suffer. But you cannot, all you can do is be with her." Splinter said.

"Ya keep saying that,"

"If you would listen to me then I would not keep having to say it," Splinter said gently.

"What you fail to realize, Raphael is that you are so caught up in what you could have done, you cannot change what could have been anymore than you can change the color of the sky. Stop trying and you will see what needs to be done,"

"As usual you are right, Master Splinter…thank you," Raph bowed to his father.

"Now I got to go back there,"

"No, it is time for us to train," Splinter said.

The infirmary…

Don came in to check on her and sent Leo out for a moment so that he could change the dressings on her injuries. She stiffened when he went to change the ones between her legs, but trusted him enough to know that he wouldn't be doing it unless he had to. Only when he was done did he allow Leo back in.

"I'll be back later," Don said.

"Can't wait," Elizabeth muttered.

"Lizzie," Leo said once, warningly.

"It's okay, Leo. I think I know what she means. Don't worry; you can leave the infirmary in a day or two." Don said.

"Well I have to go practice now. I'll see you later, Lizzie," Leo said. Don sat down next to her bed.

"No work?" She asked him.

"Not right now," he replied. Work could wake, what was most important right now was that she was okay.

"Besides I have something to read," he held up a book.

"Now get some sleep,"

"Ok," she was pretty tired anyway. Don watched her drift off.

A few years earlier…

"Arm hurts," the little girl said. She stood in the doorway of the infirmary.

"Well come on in and let me take a look," Don said. He lifted her up on the bed, and started out with looking over her hand and wrist.

"Where does it hurt exactly?"

"Here," she touched her shoulder, elbow, wrist and fingers.

"Ah…so it hurts everywhere," he said lightly.

"Ya," she mumbled as he swiveled her arm around. She winced when he brought her arm up to shoulder level.

"Okay let's take a better look," he brought her over to the x-ray machine and told her to hold her arm out as he took x-rays. When they were ready he looked them over thoroughly, his brow knotted in concentration.

"Wrong, Uncle Donnie?" She asked.

"Hmm…oh nothing. Can you go get your daddy for me?" He asked.

"Ok," she nodded and left to get her father.

"Mikey!" Don said sharply.

"It wasn't me!" Mikey said defensively.

"I'm sure," Don said sarcastically.

"I need you to keep Elizabeth busy for a while; I need to talk to Raph about something,"

"What is she okay?" Mikey asked in concern.

"I'm not sure yet," Don said.

"Well you know you can count on me, I am her favorite uncle after all," Mikey said.

"No, Leo," Elizabeth said from behind him. Don snickered slightly at the look on Mikey's face.

"What'sa matter, Don?" Raph asked. Don looked at Mikey meaningfully.

"Hey, Busy Lizzie why don't you and me go play that new game you got?" Mikey suggested. She looked curiously at Don and then shrugged one shoulder.

"Ok," she said. Don waited until the two were gone.

"Take a look at these," he brought Raph over to the wall that he had set up for the x-rays. Raph looked at them and then turned to Don.

"And this is supposed ta' mean something ta me?" He asked.

"It's Elizabeth's arm. She came in a while ago complaining that it was hurting." Don said.

"Yeah, she's been saying that ta me for a few days, I told her that it would stop soon," Raph said, not quite sure where this was going.

"It's a little more serious than that, Raph," Don turned off the light behind the x-rays.

"Serious?" Now Raph was a little worried.

"Yes, you know how her arm is made of metal?" At Raph's nod he continued.

"Well she's growing, that means her bones are growing. Her arm isn't though and that's what's troubling me. I think I'm going to have to do an operation and replace the metal in her arm with more metal,"

"Isn't there any other way?" Raph asked.

"I don't think so. What I'm worried about is how do I get her to do this without her panicking, especially after what the Shredder did to her." Don shrugged.

"Yeah, but she's going to have to unless she wants to continue living with that pain and I don't want her doing that either," Raph was already trying to think of a way to do this without Elizabeth freaking out.

The infirmary, normal time again…

She had trusted him then, just as she trusted him now. He knew her injuries were bad, but over time they would heal. It was the mental healing he was worried about; as he was sure everyone else was. But he could do nothing else for her right now, he picked up his book and started reading.

A few hours later…

"Hey Donny, wake up," Mikey said.

"Huh? What's wrong?" Don asked sleepily.

"Nothing," Mikey chuckled.

"You just fell asleep; I think it's time you went to bed yourself."

"Yeah, thanks, Mikey," Don said sheepishly. Before he left he hooked up another IV of fluid.

"I'll be back later,"

"Don't sweat it, I got you covered, bro," Mikey told him. Mikey turned on his gameboy, but instead of playing it he watched Elizabeth.

A few years earlier…

"…And you press these ones to jump and kick," Mikey explained to his young niece. She nodded once and clutched the gamepad.

"Ok the object of the game is to-"

"Beat," she finished for him.

"Yeah," He took a seat next to her on the battered sofa. Mikey had beaten everyone else in the lair that would play him, which meant that he had beaten Raph every time. Now he was picking on the newest member of the family. He was after all the gaming champion and he was going to enjoy every minutes of it.

A few minutes later he was staring at her in shock.

"You beat me," he said in a stunned voice.

"Supposed to," she said.

"Beginners luck, let's have a rematch," Mikey huffed, unwilling to let himself be beaten by anyone.

" 'K," she said. And once again she beat him.

"Ok, that's it!" Mikey was not happy. No one had ever beaten him before and he was not about to let it happen now.

"Once more," he said. He knew he could beat her.

"I dunno, seems ta me like she kicked yer ass real good, Mikey," Raph said. Mikey and Beta II turned to look at him.

"Yeah, but I'm warmed up now," Mikey protested.

"Whatever ya say," Raph smirked at him. He looked at Don as the purple masked turtle came out of his lab.

"What do ya say, Donnie? A little wager on who wins this round. My money's on the kid,"

"Which kid?" Don asked jokingly.

"The cute one," Raph patted Beta II on the shoulder as he said it.

"You get the funny lookin' one,"

"And proud of it!" Mikey said.

"Aww man not again!"

"Pay up, Donnie," Raph said.

"Here you go. You owe me, Mikey," Don told his youngest brother. Raph picked Beta II up and hugged her tight.

"Good goin my little money maker," he told her.

"Yeah, you gonna sell her on the market now, Raph?" Mikey joked. Beta II's eyes widened as she stared at Raph, he grinned back at her reassuringly.

"Nah, I say we sell you instead. How much ya think they'd pay for a mutant turtle?" Raph said.

"Hardy-de-har-har, you're so funny, Raph," Mike said sarcastically.

"So I've been told, now you gonna behave or am I gonna have to sick the little one on you again?" Raph asked, setting Beta II down.

"Ah, that's ok, honey, you can beat me anytime you want to," Mikey grinned at her.

The infirmary, normal time again…

"You'd better get well soon, I got no one who can beat me," Mikey said half jokingly, half serious.

"Bring here," she mumbled.

"AHHH!" Mikey slapped a hand to his plastron.

"Oh, my heart, you trying to kill me?"

"No," she looked at him confused, not knowing that he was kidding.

"Where Dad?"

"He's sleeping right now, I think. You want me to go get him for you?" He asked.

"No," she shook her head. She knew her father and through all this he probably wasn't getting a lot of sleep. Yeah, she wanted him, but she didn't want him suffering because of it.

"Go grab some food, Mikey," Leo came into the room.

"You didn't cook it did you?" Mikey asked suspiciously. Leo laughed a little at that, it was well known to everyone that he wasn't the greatest of cooks.

"No, you get cereal this morning," Leo told him.

"Food?" Elizabeth asked Leo.

"Don said no solid food for a while," Leo said apologetically. She sighed loudly at the same time her stomach grumbled.

"I know you're hungry, but it really is for your own good," Leo told her, as he sat down.

"Say to tummy," she said.

"You're worse than Mikey," He held up a book.

"You want me to read to you?"

"No baby," she complained.

"I know you aren't, it's actually a book about martial arts weapons that I'm reading and I just got to the part about bo sticks; I thought you might be interested." He was rewarded with a tiny smile and he knew she wanted him to read to her. As he started reading he thought back…

A few years earlier…

"Leo?" The small girl interrupted Leonardo's meditation.

"What is it?" He asked. He knew that there was something on her mind, whether she would say anything or not he didn't know.

"Rafyell say Santa Claus Christmas" she looked up at him.

"Ah…he was talking about Santa Claus and Christmas but Raph didn't tell you what it was all about?" Leo asked.

"Yes…no," she nodded. He gestured for her to join him on the mat.

"It's a long story, but I will tell it to you," he smiled at her.

"A woman called Mary had come a long way and while she was in a town she knew that she was going to have a baby. She and her husband Joseph looked in many places for a place to stay that night, but there were no rooms for them. She had to go to a barn and she had her baby in there. She named her baby Jesus. He came here to teach people about his father God. Christmas is the time when we celebrate his birthday," he wasn't sure if she'd understand what he was talking about, but she was still listening.

"And Santa Clause, well he's a very special man. His real name is Nicholas and he brings presents to little boys and girls on Jesus' birthday,"

"Oh…present me?" She asked.

"Yes, he'll bring you nice presents on Christmas," Leo replied. She stood up, apparently having got the answer that she understood.

The infirmary, normal time…

If only every answer were so simple. Leo hoped that she wouldn't ask him why they had done this to her, because he had no answer. He couldn't understand why someone would do this to a child himself, so how could he explain it to her?

"Hey, baby," Raph came in and kissed Elizabeth on the forehead. Leo took that as his cue to leave.

"You seem to be getting lotsa visitors,"

"Yeah, read?" She pointed to the book that Leo had left behind.

"I think you need some sleep," Raph said.

"Always sleep," she complained, but did as he said anyway. Raph watched her.

A few years earlier…

"Sleep…" she mumbled.

"Time ta get up," Raph told the sleeping child.

"No, daddy," she said rubbing her eyes. Raph took a step back as if she had slapped him. She'd called him daddy, but he was sure that it was a mistake on her part.

"What'd ya call me?" He asked. She blinked at him and smiled a little tiny smile.

"Daddy," she replied.

"But I…" Raph paused.

"Who said I was yer daddy?"

"Mikey, he say that daddy in look after children…you daddy," she said. Raph cursed Mikey; of course Elizabeth had probably asked him a question as to what parents were and Mikey had of course blown it out of all proportion.

"I ain't…" he trailed off as her face fell at his words.

"You no want be daddy?" She asked forlornly.

"But Mikey say that daddy do things you do…you daddy," she had an innocent look on her face.

"Yeah, I guess I do, but daddy's are…" _human? _ He thought.

"Good people and I ain't a good person," Raph lied. She frowned at that and touched one gentle hand to his plastron, over his heart.

"Splinner say only here that matter," she said. Raph was stunned, such words coming from the mouth of a child. _Would it really be so bad for her to call you daddy? _He thought. He recalled a conversation that he had a few days ago with Splinter.

"_What is it, my son?" Splinter could tell that something was troubling his son._

"_It's Elizabeth, Sensei. I think that…" Raph couldn't finish._

"_You are growing closer to her even though you tried not to?" Splinter finished for him._

"_Yeah, I'm beginning to think of her as my…daughter," Raph was almost afraid to say the word for fear of what Splinter would say._

"_Hmm…afraid not of what I will think, afraid of your own feelings for the child," Splinter always had a way of seeing the real problem. Raph chuckled a little._

"_Yeah, I guess I am…"_

Now Raph stared at the child who was staring back at him just as earnestly.

"Well…uh…I guess if you wanna call me that ya can," Raph mumbled awkwardly around the lump in his throat. With a small cheer of excitement Elizabeth leaped off the bed and into his arms.

"Ya know what this means?" He asked. She shook her head negatively and so he told her. _Teach Mikey to open his big mouth again _Raph smirked. He carried her into the kitchen and set her down at one of the chairs near the table and then went to get her some cereal.

"Good morning, Elizabeth," Leonardo said.

"Mornin Uncle Leo," she said. Leo almost choked on his coffee.

"Good morning people," Mikey said.

"Morning Mikey," Raph said and he winked at his daughter.

"Mornin Uncle Mikey," she said.

"What! Who told you to call me that?" Mikey squeaked.

"Daddy," she gestured with her spoon in Raph's direction. Mikey turned to glare at him and Raph just smiled back.

The infirmary, normal time…

_You are my daughter, _Raph thought. He was in for the long haul and there was no other place he'd rather have been.


	6. Chapter 6

Part 6

The infirmary…

"Well I guess that's it, you don't need to stay in here any longer," Don told his niece.

"Last," she muttered. She hated being sick at all and after being on forced bed rest for the last few days she would have done anything to get out of the infirmary. Her father Raphael grinned at her and she knew he was putting on a false front for her.

"No more infirmary, what ya think o' that, Lizzie?" He asked. She just rolled her eyes at him and limped out of the infirmary. Raph winced as he watched her.

"It's the internal injuries," Don said. Raph knew what internal injuries Don was talking about.

"Don't worry, Raph. She will get better,"

"I know I'm just worried about her, she still ain't talked about anything they did ta her," Raph said.

"You can't force her to talk about it if she doesn't want to," Don told him.

"Don'tcha think I know that already!" Raph snapped at him. Don didn't take offence at his brothers' sharp tone.

The living room…

"Hey, look at who's been allowed out of Don's prison," Mikey said, from his position on the sofa. He moved over to make room on for Elizabeth to sit down; as soon as she did she leaped to her feet with a hiss of pain and instead chose to kneel on the floor. Mikey didn't comment, but he did keep a close eye on her as she watched the TV with him.

After about an hour she stood up and left the living room without saying anything to Mikey. She entered the dojo silently; or so she thought.

"Don has finally decided it's okay for you to leave," Splinter said. He opened his eyes and smiled at her, she tentatively smiled back at him.

"But you are not allowed to practice yet, child. So why are you here?" He gestured for her to sit with him on the mat and she knelt down.

"Say talk him," she said. Splinter stayed silent and she knew he understood.

"No talk…no…" she made a sound of frustration at not being able to say what she meant.

"You feel unable to talk to him?" Splinter asked.

"Yeah," she nodded. Splinter looked her in the eyes.

"Have you tried?" He asked.

"Yeah…no," she found herself unable to lie to the old rat.

"No talk, he speak say he know, not know. Not make him know, think he does, not,"

"Maybe you should try writing about it," he suggested.

"Writing?" She asked.

"Yes, like a diary, but write down everything that happened and how it makes you feel inside. Sometimes when I do not understand something and meditating does nothing I write. Then when you are finished give him the diary. Perhaps then he will understand and maybe it will help you as well," he said.

"Yeah," she gave that tiny smile again as she leaned forward to hug Splinter before standing up to go to her room to take a small rest.

Elizabeth's bedroom…

"Wake up," Leo's voice brought her back to consciousness.

"What!" She groaned, she wanted to go back to sleep.

"You were screaming, I think you were having a nightmare," her uncle told her.

"Oh," now she could remember, she shivered involuntarily at the memory of it.

"Hey, it's okay," Leo said.

"Come on Mikey has dinner ready," he followed her to the kitchen. For once all of them were there for dinner at the same time.

"You don't look so good. Are you alright?" Don asked, as she sat down in between him and Raph.

"I just woke her up," Leo replied for her.

"Yes, you're still going to get tired pretty quickly for the next few days," Don said. Splinter entered and took a chair.

"Now that we're all here I think we should discuss what Elizabeth is able to do for the next week or two," Don looked at everyone, making sure that they were all listening.

"Able?" Elizabeth asked.

"Yes, able to do. Unfortunately you will be fairly limited in just what or how much you can do." He said. She gave him a blank stare. Don cleared his throat uncomfortably.

"Because of your injuries," he explained.

"Leo, she's allowed to practice for half an hour each day but nothing to strenuous,"

"Not a problem," Leo said.

"But-" Elizabeth started.

"Or I can just have Leo make sure that you don't go anywhere near the dojo for the next month, which would you prefer?" Don asked. She muttered under her breath and made a face.

"Mikey, try not to clown around to much with her, ok?" All eyes turned on the orange masked turtle as Don said this.

"I'll try my best," Mikey said.

"Raph, make sure that she's in bed and asleep by nine each night and not to much junk food," Don said.

"Consider it done," Raph responded.

"And you must follow these rules, Lizzie, ok?" Don asked. She had a notebook balanced on one knee and was writing in it, totally oblivious to the conversation going on around her.

"What's this?" Mikey asked as he snatched the notebook from her and started to flick through it.

"NO!" She yelled at him, she tried to grab it back of him, but he held it out of her reach. She looked to Splinter for help.

"Michelangelo!" Splinter snapped.

"Give Elizabeth back her book now!"

"Aww…I was just having some fun," Mikey handed the notebook back to her. She held it to her chest and glared at Mikey.

"Hmm…it is strange how I do not see anyone laughing," Splinter commented. Mikey took a look around, indeed Splinter was right. Leo and Raph were glaring at him, Don was shaking his head in obvious disappointment and Elizabeth actually had tears in her eyes as she glared at him. Mikey gulped audibly.

"I'm sorry, Lizzie, that was stupid of me," he said.

"Leave the kid alone, Mikey, or ya'll be sorry," Raph growled.

After they were finished Leo brought her to the dojo where she went through some exercises. All the while he watched her carefully, making sure that she didn't do too much or injure herself further. She ran through the exercises slowly and Leo didn't push her, knowing that she was probably going as fast as she could. He was going to suggest that they meditate together but remembered something that Master Splinter had told him long ago about seeing unwanted images or memories he decided against it. Besides he could see that she was tiring, so he brought the practice to a stop.

"I think it's time for you to get some sleep now," he said. She nodded tiredly and Leo was surprised that she didn't disagree with him.

"Ready to go, baby?" Raph came into the dojo.

"Yeah," she didn't even argue with Raph just left the dojo with him. Now that was really strange, Leo just shrugged, after what happened to her he wasn't all that surprised by her behaviour.

She was asleep within moments of crawling into her bed. Raph tucked the covers in around her, something he had not done in a long time. He stepped back and watched her sleep, she looked peaceful her face relaxing far more than it did when she was awake.

The next morning…

"Come on, Lizzie, wake up," Raph shook her shoulder gently.

"Away," she mumbled sleepily.

"Ya gotta get up. Today's the day yer goin back to school," Raph said. That got her to wake up pretty quickly and she stared at him.

"Why?" She asked.

"Because Don thinks that yer well enough to go, so get up and get dressed." Raph said. As soon as he left she dragged herself out of bed, got dressed and went to the kitchen. Leo leaned up against a counter drinking coffee.

"Look, I know ya don't really want to go, but I think Don's right, this'll be good for ya," Raph set a bowl of cereal in front of her. He didn't have to tell her that he had argued vehemently against it and that Don had finally convinced him that it was alright. She ate the cereal silently and then stood up.

"Bag?" She asked. Raph handed the backpack to her and she left without another word to him. Raph made to follow her.

"I got it, don't worry, Raph, I'll keep an eye on her," Leo said.

The school…

"Hey, Lizzie," Hannah Grennall greeted her. The two weren't all that close, but they had been hounded by the same school bullies all year and as a result they had gotten to know each other.

"Hey, nice t-shirt" Elizabeth said, Hannah wore the same t-shirt as she did.

"Got this boring assembly this morning, some idiot's been sticking gum in the water fountains again," Hannah said. She wasn't all that surprised when Elizabeth didn't say anything; because of not being able to talk properly her friend usually didn't speak unless she had to. They headed for the large lecture hall and sat near the back, waiting for the principal to start.

"Excuse me, girls," Miss Beth Hart, one of their teachers said as she sat down next to Hannah. Elizabeth didn't know her all that well, but she knew Miss Hart loved her job and her students. Mr Randall; the principal stepped up on the stage and tapped the microphone a few times and then started talking into it. Elizabeth tuned him out.

"Yeah, you always make up some stupid fucking excuse, don't you Randal!" A male voice yelled out of the crowd of students, jarring Elizabeth out of her daydreaming. A tall guy was standing up, he gestured around at all the other students as he was shouting.

"How is it our fault that this happened! You call us all in here when you know who did it!" He screamed. Then he pulled something out of his backpack; Elizabeth couldn't see what. She a loud noise and another, she stared in shock as Mr Randall dropped to the floor of the stage the front of his pristine white shirt stained red.

"Holy shit!" Hannah screamed. Then Miss Hart was pushing us and some of the other students out of the room.

"Go, GO!" She yelled. We got out in the hallway and that was when all hell broke loose. Some other students seemed to be waiting outside and like the guy inside they had guns.

First person POV-Elizabeth…

I dropped to the floor, jerking every time I heard a gunshot and a scream coming from someone who had been shot. Hannah fell to the floor next to me and I turned to look at her and cried out when I realized that she no longer had any face. Her hair and clothes were splattered with her own blood and brain.

"Move!" Miss Hart shoved me and from the side and we crawled down a side corridor. She went back for another student; a young boy. I imagined that I looked as terrified as he did. Fear drove us on, until Miss Hart faltered and I realized that she had been shot in the stomach. I moved in next to her, pulling on arm across my shoulders and lifting her up, I could feel the pain slice through me from my recent injuries but I tried to ignore it.

"Go!" I called to the boy, who stood frozen as if unsure what to do. I dragged Miss Hart along the corridor towards the nearby exit.

"Go on without me, I'll just slow you down," Miss Hart said. All I could remember thinking was that a ninja wouldn't leave someone who was injured behind. I set her down on the floor against the wall.

"I've got to go back," I said.

"You can't!" Miss Hart said. We could still hear intermittent gunshots and a few people screaming.

"Have to…come soon someone," I told her and turned my back. Yeah, I was scared, but if I could help someone else then I had to.

Leonardo…

I sat on the rooftop. Boring work just waiting to see if she could go through the whole day without having to run home again. But if Elizabeth did I know I wouldn't judge her for doing it and nor would anyone else in the family. I had chosen to do this because I knew Raph was worried and I didn't want him doing something he shouldn't. So here I was, watching and waiting.

A sound like a gunshot rang through the early morning air and then another followed by screams of terror. I leapt to my feet and stared down at the entrance of the school as students and teachers alike poured out the doors. Some were screaming or crying, but they all had one thing in common they all looked terrified. I didn't see Elizabeth amongst them. It only took me a split second to decide what to do as I leaped from one rooftop to another until I was able to get down to ground level. I slipped in a side entrance, unnoticed by anyone. Inside I found a young boy and a female teacher. The teacher was bleeding from a bad stomach wound, obviously she had been shot. I moved quickly towards them and gathered the teacher up in my arms. The boy stared at me, obviously wondering if I was real.

"Come on, you have to get out of here," I told him. I carried the woman outside and gently laid her on the grass and then turned to the boy.

"Wait with her until someone comes," he nodded at my instructions. The teacher mumbled something that I didn't quite catch. I wanted to stay with her until help arrived, but I had to find my niece. I hurried back into the school and down the hallway towards where I could hear voices, one of them Elizabeth's voice. Then there was a gunshot and I didn't her any voices anymore. I ran around the corner and saw her lying on the floor, my heart stopped momentarily as I dropped to my knees next to her dead body.

"No…Elizabeth?" I picked her up and held her against me, but she was obviously dead. I heard voices coming towards me and knew that I had to get out of there or risk being discovered.

On the way back to the Lair…

_How am I going to tell Raph? _I wondered. I pushed the door to the lair open and stepped inside. Mikey glanced up from his usual position on the sofa.

"Hey, Leo where's Lizz…what in the shell happened to you!" He asked, leaping up from the sofa and coming over to me when he saw the blood on me.

"Where's Raph?" I asked, ignoring his question.

"In the dojo with Splinter…what's going on Leo?" He asked. Just then the cartoons that he was watching were cut off and the grim face of a new reporter appeared.

"We are sorry to take a break from the scheduled programmes," the reporter said said, he shuffled some sheets of paper on the desk in front of him.

"Today at approximately nine thirty am there was a shooting in Ignautius high school. So far we do not have any names of those involved in the shooting, but the death toll is very high. As soon as we have any more information we will let you know as soon as possible."

Mikey was staring at the TV, then his eyes turned on me.

"Leo?" Was all he said.

"I have to go and tell Raph," I told him. I headed for the dojo with a heavy heart. Mikey was very sensitive and I knew that he would take this hard. We all would. He followed me to the dojo, obviously not wanting to be alone.

"Raph," I called. He was practicing under the watchful eye of our sensei. Don was working through some exercises on the other side of the room. Raph was so engrossed in what he was doing that he didn't even look at me.

"Raph!" I said a little louder. Now he seemed to notice me.

"Leo, where's Lizzie?" He asked. I looked at him through bleak eyes.

"Raph, she…" I gulped down a breath as my feelings tried to overwhelm me.

"There was a shooting in the school," Mikey said.

"That ain't even funny, Mikey…wait you're not kidding. Is she alright?" Raph looked at me.

"She's gone, Raph," I said quietly.

"Gone whe…? No!" The last word exploded from Raph.

"Raph, I saw her…I-I held her after…she's dead," I could barely get the words out. Emotions ran across Raph's face as he turned in a circle, not sure what to do or how to react. He was shaking his head and I could see the tears in his eyes. Don had stopped practicing and he just stood silently. Mikey was behind me I could hear him sniffling as he tried not to cry. Splinter had a shocked look on his face and in his eyes, but he recovered quickly to go to his red masked son and draw him into a comforting hug.

The dojo a few hours later-Leo POV

I was angry at myself. If only I had moved faster, if only I had gotten their in time. If I had left that teacher there and went looking for Elizabeth then she'd still be alive. I closed my eyes trying to shut out the pain and the guilt…

Mikey POV…

She's gone. That was all I could think. My niece was gone. I rubbed at his burning, tearing eyes as I tried to stop crying. She was so young and her life had been taken to soon. It was so unfair…

Raph POV…

Lizzie's dead, my mind screamed the words over and over at me. I couldn't stop crying. I could remember when she first came to live with us, how scared she had been. Over time she had learned that I or any of the others weren't going to hurt her. The look in her eyes this morning as she had left had told me that she didn't want to go to school that day and I had insisted. Dammit! Why did I make her go?

Don POV

Why had I told Raph that it was okay for her to go? Good for her in fact. I shouldn't have done that. Now she was dead, because of what I had done. I cursed myself, how could I have been so stupid?

The sewers…

She sloshed her way through the sewers. She was so exhausted, she just wanted to stop and rest for a moment. She knew it was nearly eight pm and that they were no doubt worried about her. But after what happened at the school she had just wanted to be left alone for a while. Now all she wanted was to get home where it was safe, where her father and uncles and Master Splinter were no doubt worried about her. She dragged herself along by hanging onto one of the pipes overhead until she finally got to the lair and quietly pushed the door open. Home, at last she was home. She collapsed to the floor on her hands and knees as soon as she got inside, not caring if it made her look weak. Today she felt as though someone had sucker punched her one to many times.

"Elizabeth?" The voice of one of her uncles spurred her to look up.

"Uncle Donnie," she whispered.

"Raph!" Don yelled, as he came over and helped her up.

"What!" Raph came out of his room and stopped when he saw his daughter. His daughter who he had thought was dead. Blood and grime was smeared all over her.

"Lizzie," Raph couldn't believe it, as he came over and gently took his daughter from Don.

"Daddy," she buried her face in his shoulder and started to cry. Raph gently held her in his arms, thanking God that his daughter had been returned to him.

"It's okay, I'm right here," He whispered to her.

"What…? But I…I saw her and she was…" Leo and Mikey had entered the main room of the lair.

"Hannah," Elizabeth said as she gulped for breath.

"Oh," Leo said. He knew about Hannah, they all did because Elizabeth had talked about her before.

"Come on, let's get you cleaned up," Raph said.

"Sleep," she said. All she wanted to do right now was sleep.

"After I clean you up then you can sleep, ok baby?" Raph smiled down at her. Then looked at Don.

"I'll come check on her in a while. It doesn't look like she's badly hurt or anything though," the purple masked turtle said. Raph led his trembling daughter to the bathroom.

"What's going on? I was so sure that was here that I found in the school," Leo said.

"Ya don't suppose that it's possible that Hannah could have been wearing the same t-shirt that Lizzie was, do you?" Mikey asked. He was grinning like an idiot; he looked like a kid who had just discovered that all his Christmases and birthdays had come at once. Don shook his head, smiling at Leo and shrugged.

"He's got a point, Leo. Don't worry, I think Raph will understand, besides right now he's just happy that she's okay," he said.


	7. Chapter 7

Part 7

DONATELLO:

I looked at my niece, her head down low over the desk as she worked on the assignment I had given her. It had been two days since the school shooting and Elizabeth was being quieter than usual, she only talked to the others and me when she absolutely had to. What happened with Shredder and now this on top of all that I hoped that she would be okay.

"Done," she came up to my desk and set down the completed assignment.

"Good work, Lizzie. I think it's time for lunch, I wonder what Mikey has prepared for us," I wondered. She just shrugged and left the lab. I sighed loudly; the only one who was suffering by not talking was her.

"Cheese sandwiches and soup," Mikey replied to Leo's question.

"That sounds good, right, baby?" Raph asked Elizabeth. I was glad to see that Raph was taking an active role in trying to get her to talk more. This time though she ignored as she ate a sandwich and started writing in the journal she'd been carrying everywhere. Raph glanced at me, eye ridges raised in question.

"Let it go," I told him quietly, I knew he wouldn't be very happy with that, but we couldn't force her to do something she didn't want to do. She finished her sandwich and wandered away to settle herself on the couch to write some more before her practice session with Leo.

"How long is this gonna go on?" Raph demanded of me.

"I don't know, Raph," I replied.

"What ya mean ya don't know!" Raph glowered at me.

"Just that; I don't know. I've done the research on this and they are all different, there is no precedent for how she should behave. I figure that when she wants to talk she will and not before. Pushing and trying to force her to isn't going to do any good, in fact it could make her worse." I looked over at her sitting on the couch. She looked so alone and her own mind maybe she was, maybe we could never truly understand what was going on with her.

LEONARDO:

I stood up from the table and went over, she looked up at me.

"Let's go to the dojo," I told her. She put the small journal and pen into her pocket and together we headed to the dojo.

"Today I'm just going to let you practice on this," I patted the shoulder of the dummy on its stand. She stared at it for a moment and then at me, confusion clouded her eyes. I understood why, it was rare for me to allow her to just do something like this; I stepped back from the dummy.

"Go ahead," I invited. She shrugged on shoulder and then turned back to the dummy and kicked it hard in the general region of the groin. I watched her carefully; Don had said not to allow her to do certain things for fear that the stitches might come loose. Other than that I just let her have at it and she did, pounding away with her uninjured fist and kicking it with enough force to seriously hurt a living person. And then she did something I hadn't been expecting she threw herself at the dummy, bearing it to the floor with her own weight where she continued to beat it. Kneeling on top of it she buried her fist up to the wrist in the stomach and then she went completely nuts on dummy. I decided it was time to call a halt.

"Elizabeth, that's enough," I told her. She didn't seem to hear me because she was so engrossed in her assault of the hapless dummy.

"Elizabeth!" I said more sharply. Her fist stopped in midair and she looked up at me and blinked once, her eyes cleared and she stared back down at the dummy.

"What…?" She slowly got to her feet.

"Sorry, Uncle Leo," she said tonelessly as she stared at her feet.

"Hey," I waited for her to look at me.

"That's what I wanted you to do, feel better now?" I asked. She shrugged and instantly she seemed to have closed herself off again. I sighed, but I wasn't really surprised, I should have known better than to expect a short session with Punchbag Paul to solve all her problems. I decided to let her go early today and she left without another word. Raph and I always seemed to be at odds, but one thing we silently agreed on was getting Elizabeth back.

MICHELANGELO:

We were all going out of our way to make sure that Elizabeth was okay, that she knew we were there for her. I sat down on the couch next to her.

"Want to play a game with me?" I asked her. She didn't even look at me when she shook her head. Continuing to write in that journal as if I wasn't even there. I had been wondering what she was writing about, but unless she wanted me to know I guess it wasn't any of my business. She wrote as if she was possessed, wherever she went the journal went with her.

"Come on, I got a new game here," I tried to persuade her. She completely ignored me this time.

"Michelangelo, it is time for you and your brothers to practice," Splinter said to me.

"Oh, sorry, Sensei," I said as I stood up and followed him out.

RAPHAEL:

I was distracted, I wasn't sure what annoyed me more the fact that I was letting myself get so easily distracted or that no one else seemed to mind when I fouled up during practice. Ever since that shooting had happened she had gotten much worse, it was subtle but even I could see it. Don't get me wrong, I was relieved and so thankful when she came back that night alive. It was the first time since we rescued her from Shredder that she had cried. Her words hadn't made much sense to me. She had mumbled something about Hannah being her only friend and now her friend was dead. I had held her and comforted her and told her it wasn't her fault. I don't think she believed me. The next morning she had acted as though nothing had happened.

"I think you should take a break, my son," Splinter told me.

"I don't need a break," I said.

"No, but we need a break from you," Mikey kidded. I glared at him, a low growl building in my throat.

"Splinter's right, Raph. You're not focused and that's the way to cause yourself or one of us an injury. Take a short time out and come back when you're refreshed." Leo said. I wanted to argue with him; that's just me, but I knew he was right and for once I backed down and let him have his way. I went and sat by the edge of the mats and watched my brothers practicing. I was so lost in thought that he didn't even know it when Elizabeth sat down next to him, I looked over at her and the first thing I noticed was the ever present journal in her lap that she held in a white knuckled grasp. I saw Splinter glance in our direction and he had a half smile on his face as if he knew something important was about to happen, but then he turned back to instructing the others. I didn't know what to say to her…I didn't know what she wanted me to say to her. Then suddenly, as if she was afraid she might change her mind she almost threw the Journal at me, leaped to her feet and ran out. I stared after her, but made no move to follow. I picked up the journal and looked at it stupidly, what was I meant to do with it?

"You are meant to read it, Raphael," Splinter said, as if reading my mind.

"But I-" I started, as Splinter sat down beside me.

"A few days ago Elizabeth came to me; she told me that she could not tell you anything she found it to hard. I suggested that she keep a journal and write everything in it and when she was finished to allow you to read it. It seems as though she has taken my advice," Splinter said. I looked again at the journal I now held.

"Master Splinter, I don't know if I can," I said quietly.

"Hmm…stand all that to be done to her and yet stand to read about it you cannot?" Splinter asked, getting straight to the root of my problem. I swallowed hard and tried to avoid Splinters eyes.

"You want to understand, or at the very least make an effort to understand. How can you if you do not even try, Raphael?"

"That isn't what I meant, at least not totally," I muttered.

"Maybe this is why she chose to write it instead of telling you in person. She did not want to see the look on your face. I see disgust, not for her it is for what they did to her, but she could well think that it is for her. Is that what you want her to see when your daughter looks at you, Raphael?" Splinter asked me. My brothers were pretending that they weren't listening in, but I knew them.

"Of course not, it is hard to explain just what I'm feeling I wouldn't even know where to begin," I said.

"Perhaps you and Elizabeth are not so different after all," Splinter stood up and went back to teaching my brothers. I sat there for another moment, knowing that Splinter was right; he always was, I decided that I would need privacy to read the journal. I headed for my room and settled myself in a battered armchair, for a long moment I just stared at the book. I opened to the first page and started to read.

Elizabeth's journal:

_Splinter said I should keep a journal and then give it to dad. I know I told Splinter that I didn't really know what to say to him, I don't think I know what to write down either. It's just complicated and trying to find the right words to say or write is hard. I don't even know where to begin._

_I mean what does dad want to know? Every time I close my eyes I can see his face, hear his voice in my head and no one knows what that's like. Everyone keeps telling me that I'm safe here with them. Dad told me that before ages ago and it happened again, so how can I believe them when they say that to me? How can they be so sure that he won't find me again? I'm terrified that he'll come get me again and there'll be nothing I can do to stop him. I want to find somewhere and just hide there forever, but it doesn't matter cos no matter where I hide he'll still find me no matter what I do._

I turned to the next page, having made a decision to read it now I could not change my mind even though I wanted to.

_I really don't want to write this, if I don't write it then maybe it won't be true. Yeah, like that's going to happen._

_I guess I'd better put something in here; otherwise it's just going to be a load of blank pages which isn't going to do much._

_Uncle Mikey asked me to go get the pizza for dinner. I think they got me on the way there, I can't really remember. All I know is that I woke up somewhere and I was blindfolded and couldn't see anything. I heard his voice and I hoped that I was just having a nightmare, but I wasn't. He told me that my training was about to start and that I was going to need my energy. I didn't know what he meant, but I knew I wasn't dreaming._

_Later on he told me that they wouldn't know that I was gone because he'd sent someone who was identical to me to take my place and that I was going to be with him a very long time. I didn't want to believe him, I wanted to come home._

_He never let me sleep, every time I tried someone would wake me up and they'd start all over again. He_

And she had just stopped writing there. I stared at the page, wondering what she had been about to say. I flicked to the next page and continued reading.

_I don't want to write about it anymore than I want to talk about it, but Splinter says it'll help._

_He put his fingers in me and then he_

_You told me once that sometimes guys rape women, you tried to tell me why they did it, but I don't think even you knew why they did._

_He raped me and then someone else, I lost count, there were so many and I didn't want to know anymore. When they were done they shoved something in me and it hurt more than anything else they had done before that. _

_When he came back a while later he use something sharp on me and I could feel him shoving it in and out of me. I could feel the blood running down my legs. When he was done he used the knife to cut me all over and hit me with a whip I think. He did that for a long time or at least it felt like a long time._

Raph paused in his reading to wipe at his eyes. He knew all this already, Don had told him, but somehow it was different hearing; or reading, it from her.

_Then he started burning me with something. Just pressing whatever it was to me and letting it stay there until it cooled. He kept choking me with something and just as I was about to pass out he'd stop and a moment later he'd do it again._

_He cut me across my stomach with the claw on his hand._

_Someone was cutting me with a knife and I could feel the pain, but I didn't care anymore._

_Then I saw Uncle Mikey and I thought I was dreaming. He wanted to leave and go get Uncle Donnie, but I didn't want him to go and when he stayed I knew I was dreaming that he was really here with me. I could see the look in Uncle Donnie's eyes and I figure I looked pretty bad, all I knew was that you were here and that he wouldn't be coming back anymore._

_Uncle Mikey stole my book, I hate when he does things like that, he thinks he's so funny._

_I wanted to go home, but Uncle Donnie wouldn't let me. I guess I passed out or something cos the next thing I remembers is waking up in the infirmary and Uncle Donnie and April was there. He told me that nothing bad was going to happen now and I believed him._

_When I woke up again you was there and Uncle Donnie was shining something in my eyes. I kept falling asleep though, every time I woke up someone was always there and I felt safe, cos I knew you wouldn't let nothing happen to me._

Raphael smiled slightly at those words, as afraid as she was at the time she had trusted that no harm would come to her if her family could prevent it.

_You made me go back to school and I didn't want to, I wanted to stay home with you cos I'm safe here. Someone started shooting and all I could think that he had come back for me and Miss Hart got me and Hannah and a boy out but there was more people waiting outside and they started shooting at us to. I just lay on the floor afraid to move and when I asked Hannah if she was okay she had no face anymore. And Miss Hart had been shot so I tried to help her but I left her in the hallway by the door, I knew that someone would come and help her. I had to go back to try and help more people, cos that's what we do right? We supposed to help other people. So I went back but all I could find were people who were already dead and I went into the lecture hall and I found one of them in there with some others that were smaller than me and he was going to shoot them all. So I told him that I'd stay with him and he could shoot me instead if he let them go. He said ok and I talked to him for a while. He shot himself but before he did he said he wanted them to listen to him cos his parents never listens to him. I tried to stop him from shooting himself, but I was to far away and I couldn't move fast enough. His name was Jake._

_I snuck out so that no one would see me cos I wanted to be alone for a while. What Jake had said made me think. He said his parents never listened to him. You and everyone else here are always willing to listen to me, no matter what you're doing you always make time for me._

Raphael wiped hard at his eyes, his daughter was sure good at making him cry.

_I know I could have been hurt by going back there, dad. But I had to cos if I didn't some more people would have died and that makes me responsible to. I remember that poem that Uncle Donnie thought me in history class written by __Pastor Martin Niemöller, it's called 'First they came for the Jews'_

_First they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out_

_Because I was not Jew._

_Then they came for the Communists, and I did not speak out_

_Because I was no Communist_

_Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out_

_Because I was not a trade unionist_

_Then they came for me, and there was no one left_

_To speak out for me._

_If I did nothing then I would have been just as responsible as the ones who had the guns._

_Uncle Leo says that ninja are brave and strong. I don't feel brave or strong. I'm so scared and all I want to do is curl up and cry cos I feel so alone and that no one wants to listen to me; even when they say they do. I want to be a ninja but maybe I'm not meant to be cos I'm so afraid and ninja aren't afraid. Ninja don't get scared and they don't cry and scream when someone hurts them, like I do. I'm so confused and I don't know what to do._

_When he kept choking me I prayed that he'd just let me die, I was so scared I just wanted it to stop and I thought that would only happen if I died. I don't want to die anymore, but I don't know if I want to live either. And that's what still scares me so much._

_I don't know what else you want me to write here so I think I'll just stop now._

I closed the journal and sat for a long moment. Now that I knew what was going on in her head, or at least I think I understood. I tucked the journal away in the dresser and left my room. I found her in the living room sitting on the couch pretending to watch TV with Mikey. I knew she was watching me as I came over and sat next to her. She glanced at me and I could see the uncertainty in her eyes, not sure what I was thinking now that I had read her journal.

"Just because someone tells you something doesn't necessarily mean it's true," I said. She was listening to me now and so was Mikey and of course Leo, Don and Master Splinter chose that moment to come into the room. My attention was on Elizabeth.

"I'll let ya in on a little secret; sometimes I'm afraid when I go into a fight. It doesn't mean I ain't a ninja,"

She turned away from me then and mumbled something that I couldn't hear; I grabbed her chin gently but firmly and turned her to face me again.

"I ain't lyin ta ya. Just cos yer scared and ya don't mean ya ain't a ninja,"

"Uncle Leo say ninja brave," she whispered.

"Yeah and they are, but there are different definitions of that word. Ya didn't give inta the Shredder no matter what he did ta ya. Ya went back to stop that kid from shooting anyone else. Far as I can see that makes ya brave," I told her. She shook her head.

"Yeah, I don't know if I coulda done it," and I honestly didn't. I was still holding her chin and I could feel her lip trembling and see the tears in her eyes.

"Ya think that just cos we're older and physically stronger than you that makes us any less afraid?" I asked.

"You are," she whispered.

"We ain't. Yer confused right now and I can understand that. If the Shredder had done to me what he's done to you then I'd probably want to die and that is definitely not a lie." At this she ducked her head and when she looked up at me again I knew I'd finally gotten through to her. Tears spilled from her eyes and she didn't seem to care.

"But…" she took a deep shuddering breath.

"I'm so scared, daddy," she whispered. I finally relented and pulled her against me.

"I know you are, baby," I told her. I felt her whole body tremble and she finally allowed herself to cry about everything. I waved my family away and they gave us the privacy that we needed, Don returned with a box of tissues and then he disappeared again. She huddled against me, her body wracked with sobs. When she was done she fell into a fitful sleep and I let her rest, staying right with her.

Over the next few days she continued to cry at strange times.

She was playing the new game against Mikey and he beat her and she just started bawling.

In the dojo Leo was teaching her a new move and she got it down almost perfectly and she started crying.

In class with Don she was struggling with some math problem and she just broke down and cried like a baby.

All my family were very supportive during this time. Mikey knew that it wasn't because he had beaten her and that she probably would have done the same thing if it had gone her way. I have to admit that Leo had been a bit surprised when he praised her and she started crying, but my bro had stepped up to the plate and let her cry all over him. Don hadn't been all that surprised when she had done it in class and he had held her as she cried her heart out. Don had told me after all that once she let down the wall that she had put up around herself she was going to be very fragile and have a tendency to cry at the strangest times so we were kind of expecting it.

After a few weeks though she settled down a little, although she sometimes cried occasionally. I knew she was still scared and confused, but hopefully with all of our help that would pass. Time would tell

The End.


	8. epilogue

Epilogue

"Cooooommmmmeeeeee onnnnnnnn, please? You're the only one that gives me any competition," Mikey whined.

"Maybe you should, if just to shut him up for a while," Raph said.

"Ok," Elizabeth said. Mikey and Raph stared at her and then at each other and Mikey winked. Elizabeth and Mikey settled themselves in front of the TV and Mikey put on the new game that he had yet to play. Raph decided to leave them at it and he headed for the dojo and Punchbag Paul.

Mikey looked at his niece, her face set in concentration as the two raced their virtual cars around the track. Her car slammed into a barrier and his shot past across the finish line. Mikey leaped to his feet and whooped, doing a little dance as he did so. He stopped when he noticed her shoulders shaking and he knew she wasn't laughing.

"Hey," he sat down next to her.

"It's just a game. You'll get me next time," he handed her a tissue and she grabbed it and wiped at her eyes with it, but continued crying and Mike hugged her until she stopped.

It was later that night when the four turtles were gathered in the dojo for an impromptu practice session.

"I don't get it though, she just started crying and all we were doing was playing a game," Mikey said. Don sighed, shaking his head.

"It wasn't the game, Mikey," he said.

"Huh? Then what was it?" Mikey asked.

"Ever since we brought her back from Shredder she had this wall built up around her. Then Raph," he nodded in Raph's direction for emphasis.

"Had that talk with her the other day and all of a sudden those walls came crashing down and all of a sudden she has these emotions to deal with. They're going to come to the surface at strange times because she doesn't know how else to handle them. She could be having a great time and in a really good mood and next thing BAM!" Don smacked a fist into his palm as he said it.

"You didn't do anything wrong, Mikey. In fact you did exactly the right thing, she needs to know that when this happens we're not going to run away screaming,"

"So what you're saying is that she'll do it unexpectedly at any time?" Leo asked, slightly confused as he had only caught the last bit of what Don had said.

"Exactly," Don replied.

She poked him slightly, trying to wake up her father. With a groan he rolled over onto his carapace and blinked sleepily at her and then sat up.

"Another nightmare?" He asked. She nodded mutely and Raph patted the bed next to him, were he hugged her tightly.

"Like it happen all over again," she sniffled.

"I know, Lizzie. But he can't get ta ya here, ya know that right?" He asked.

"Yeah, still scared," she whispered. Raph wondered why he hadn't woken up as he had for the last few nights when she screamed from the torment within her own mind.

"Ya wanna sleep here tonight?" He asked. It was something she hadn't done in years, but Raph was willing to make an exception.

"Yeah," she curled up on the bed next to me and I tucked her in. I figured she might be able to get at least a couple of hours of sleep before she had to get up in the morning. A few hours later she woke up screaming and again two hours after that.

The next morning Elizabeth came into Don's class looking tired and worn out.

"Rough night?" He asked sympathetically. He knew she had, they had all heard her screams.

"Yeah," was all she said before taking her seat.

"Okay, see this sentence I've written on the board? I want you to tell me what's wrong with it

_jack walked down the road he was on his way to cheque the gate were locked_.

She stared at the board for a long moment.

"Big J," she said.

"Why?" Don asked.

"Name, first word," she told him.

"Very good anything else?"

"Cheque, check. Were, was,"

"Excellent," he looked at her waiting for her to continue. A moment later she shook her head and shrugged. He fixed all the mistakes and she nodded once and Don knew that she was paying attention so that she wouldn't make the same mistake again. He gave her a few more sentences to fix and she picked out almost all the errors in them. He let her take a short break and then gave her some math work to go over. She was actually working on them, even though she hated math. She laid her head down on her folded arms on the table and started to cry. Don went to her and held her as she cried like a baby.

"Sorry," she mumbled when she was finished.

"It's alright," he reassured her.

When class was over she went to the dojo. Leo had decided it was time to allow her practice her high kick, now that Donnie had agreed it was okay to do so. Elizabeth took her place, arms raised in the correct position. Leo watched from the sidelines, not interrupting yet. She tried a few experimental kicks and after a moment she settled down as I joined her.

"So why don't you show it to me?" I said, acting like I hadn't been watching her and she hadn't noticed me. She nodded once with a frown of concentration on her face. And then she pulled it off almost flawlessly on her first try. I smiled proudly at her.

"That was great, Elizabeth," I praised her. Her lip trembled at my words; she sniffled and then burst into tears. _What did I say? _Leo wondered. He went to her and held her as she cried. After a while her crying stopped and she just sniffled quietly. I sat back from her.

"Feel better?" I asked.

"Yeah, cry on you," she said sheepishly. I waved a hand dismissively.

"Don't worry about it," I told her.

"To finish off today's lesson I want to tell you the story of a young ninja called Tadake, he was fourteen years old when his clan went into a battle. It was at the time a huge war, the entire clan was called upon to fight. Tadake was still in training to become a full ninja, but he wanted to be a part of this battle. As the oldest of the ninja in training he was told that he was responsible for the young ones when everyone else left for battle. He tracked the rest of his clan and followed them to this battle and what he saw was something that he knew he should not have. His clan was large and strong, filled with able ninja. The clan they faced however was stronger and Tadake did not understand how almost all his clan had been killed. Then he saw his older sister; Miko, come towards him and he ran to her. Instead of greeting him in her usual style she rebuked him; harshly, for he had broken the most important rule, to disobey the Sensei of their clan. This was not his first time doing it, but this time his actions had far reaching and devastating consequences for he had left the young of their clan defenseless. When Tadake and Miko returned to their clan home they found that the young were all dead," Leo said.

"It was the day that Tadake chose to leave the clan home to follow the army that he lost his honor. For even though his clan and Sensei were gone he could have still died with his honor intact. Instead he threw it all away for something that he wanted and was not yet ready for."

"Tomorrow I want you to tell me what you learned from Tadake's story,"

"Ok," she stood up and the two left the dojo to go get some dinner, but stopped in the living room where Raph was turning up the volume on the radio. And then Raph started dancing to the music.

"Uh…Raph? Are you feeling alright?" Leo asked over the sound of the music.

"What the heck's he doing?" Mikey asked from behind.

"Mikey?" Leo looked at him.

"Yeah?" Mikey said.

"Just checking," Leo groaned. Raph danced towards them.

"Dance with me, pretty lady," he said to Elizabeth. Elizabeth looked towards Leo, an eyebrow raised in question. Leo just shrugged, he had no idea what Raph was up to either.

"Aww, she won't dance with me," Raph made a face and then grabbed Mikey instead and twirled him around the room. The song switched to Billy Joel's 'The Longest Time' and then Raph started singing, loudly and badly.

"If you said goodbye to me tonight, there would still be music left to write," Raph sang.

"Oh, honey! I knew you remember our anniversary!" Mikey cried out and he kissed Raph. Leo heard a strange noise and turned to look at Elizabeth. Her good hand covered her mouth. Then she gave up all pretence at trying not to laugh and started giggling loudly and Leo knew that had been Raph's intention all along. It was the first time that he had seen her laughing in a while and the sound was refreshing.

"Hey, what ya know she does remember how to laugh," Raph stopped singing and shoved Mikey away.

"She might," Don was smirking at him evilly a small video-camera in one hand.

"I got that whole 'Raph remembered' scene, so the question is, do you know how to laugh?"

"Gimme that!" Raph launched himself at Don who tossed the camera to Leo.

"Lizzie! Catch!" Leo threw the camera in her direction and she caught it. Raph stopped in front of her, right now he wouldn't do anything to her. She grinned at him.

"Here, dad," she handed him the camera.

"Aww, Lizzie, after all the trouble I went to get that!" Don joked.

"Ha! See my kid will always help me out!" Raph crowed, grinning at Don and Leo.

"So true," Leo said, but he said it in a good natured way.

"Uncle Donnie," Lizzie said.

"What?" He asked.

"You know better," she held up the videotape that she had taken from the video-camera before giving it to Raph.

"Why you little…!" Raph growled good naturedly. He ran after her and with a small screech she took off, but of course he caught her.

"Give it to me," he tickled her

"Don't have!" She laughed.

"Oh, Raaaappphhh, over here!" Mikey held the video tape. Raph hadn't even seen her throw it to him.

"Oh, ya think yer smart, do ya?" Raph asked.

"Yeah," she nodded and grinned at him.

"I'll get you later," he told her, letting her go. And the game of toss the video tape continued for another few minutes.

"Someone has to go get the pizza," Mikey groaned from where Raph had knocked him to the floor.

"It's your turn," Raph said.

"Nu uh, it's Don's," Mikey said.

"I am not falling for that again," Don said.

"Fine I'll go get it," Leo said.

"Come?" Elizabeth asked. Leo glanced at Raph, knowing that his brother probably wouldn't want her leaving the lair ever again. He was surprised when Raph nodded his permission and Elizabeth went off to get a sweater.

"Just keep a close watch on her, Leo," Raph said.

"You know I will, bro," Leo assured him.

"Ready to go?" He asked his niece when she returned.

"Yeah," she replied.

"You go on and collect it, Lizzie," Leo said. He saw the look in her eyes.

"Go on, I'll be right here if you need me," after a moment she took off into the pizza restaurant. He stayed in the shadow, but kept a close eye on the restaurant until he saw her come back out.

"Uncle Leo," she called.

"Right here," he said.

"Uh…someone meet you," she said. She knew that humans weren't meant to see her family.

"Who is it?" He asked.

"Miss Hart, you find in school, bring out," she said. She seemed to sense his indecision.

"She know not human,"

"Ok, where is she?" Leo asked.

"I'm right here," a female voice said and then the woman that he had rescued from the school stepped into the light.

"I just wanted to say thank you for saving my life," she stood up on tip toe and kissed him on the cheek.

"You are welcome, Miss Hart, but I and my niece must return home now. It was nice meeting you." For once he meant to words, there was something about this 'Miss Hart' and he couldn't quite figure out what it was.

"Pizza get cold," Lizzie said.

"Alright, I'm coming," he looked at the woman before she stepped back out into the street and left them alone.

"Uncle Leo, girlfriend," Lizzie laughed at her own little joke.

"That's enough from you, Miss Smart Aleck," Leo was glad for the shadows that hid him blushing.


End file.
